The Technical University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG) has said it no longer considers the non-payment of the Book and Research Allowances a substantive ground for its current industrial action.
It said that is because the government has demonstrated good response by initiating the payment process for the Book and Research Allowance.
The National President of TUTAG, Professor Deodat E. Adenutsi at a press conference in Ho on Thursday (October 1) said the strike was based on the association’s concern for the outstanding payments to colleagues on post-retirement contracts, and others concerns.
“TUTAG has exhausted all available channels of engagement over the non-payment of some colleagues on post-retirement contracts,” he said.
Professor Adenutsi said those efforts had included repeated face-to-face meetings and formal correspondence with all relevant stakeholders, including the Ministries of Education, Finance, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Fair Wages Commission, and National Labour Commission.
He said during the engagements, the relevant actors and duty bearers acknowledged that the valid contracts under the post-retirement contracts must be honoured.
“Yet, this acknowledged obligation had yielded no tangible solution,” the National President of TUTAG revealed.
He said some of the affected staff had remained unpaid for 27 months, despite having diligently and wholeheartedly discharged their contractual obligations to the government.
Unilateral variation
Professor Adenutsi said another ground for the strike was the unilateral variations of the agreed scheme of service.
He cited the case of librarians and said TUTAG was concerned about how the government agencies were introducing or applying administrative arrangements inconsistent with the association’s agreed scheme of service, without involving the association.
“This had created uncertainty on our campuses, particularly concerning the status and remuneration of university librarians,” he told the conference.
GTEC’s directive
Meanwhile, Professor Adenutsi said they have objected a GTEC directive dated July 31, 2025 requiring Assistant Lecturers/Assistant Research Fellows to complete a PhD before re-designation in those capacities.
He said TUTAG considered the requirement a substantive unilateral departure that undermined legitimate career expectations and disadvantaged eligible staff.
Unless those concerns were resolved, members of TUTAG could not continue indefinitely to provide services while earned remuneration remained unpaid and agreed conditions were subjected to inconsistent implementation.
In that regard, he directed all members of TUTAG to withdraw their services with regard to teaching, supervision of students’ research and submission of examination marks, indefinitely.
“Members of TUTAG should perform all other professional duties, including but not limited to attending meetings, working on boards and committees, conducting research, and rendering community service,” Professor Adenutsi maintained.
