The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has rejected claims by the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) that disparities in market premiums and allowances between teaching and non-teaching senior members of public universities constitute discrimination.
UTAG described the argument as misleading, insisting that differences in remuneration do not automatically amount to unfair treatment.
“A disparity, in and of itself, is not evidence of discrimination,” the association stated in a release issued on Monday, August 10, 2026.
The statement follows GAUA’s decision to reactivate its suspended strike over disparities in market premiums and related allowances for non-teaching senior members of public universities.
UTAG said public universities employ professionals across various fields, including academics, administrators, accountants, auditors, librarians, legal officers and technicians.
While acknowledging that the various professional groups play complementary roles in the functioning of universities, UTAG stressed that their responsibilities, qualifications and labour market conditions are not identical and, therefore, should not necessarily attract uniform compensation.
According to the association, market premiums should be based on objective considerations such as the complexity of duties, qualifications, scarcity of skills, labour market competitiveness and the need to attract and retain specialised professionals.
UTAG also challenged arguments based on the 114 per cent harmonised market premium structure introduced under the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2012.
It argued that remuneration systems must evolve in response to changing labour market conditions and institutional requirements, adding that an earlier harmonisation framework should not prevent subsequent adjustments or differentiation.
“A past point of harmonisation cannot be invoked as a permanent argument against all subsequent differentiation,” UTAG said.
The association stressed that it does not oppose improved remuneration for non-teaching senior members and supports fair and sustainable conditions of service for all university workers.
However, it rejected what it described as the “false premise” that fairness can only be achieved by eliminating differences between occupational groups.
UTAG has consequently called on the government, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Ministry of Education, National Labour Commission and other stakeholders to conduct an independent review of the remuneration framework for senior members of public universities.
The review, it said, should take into account qualifications, workloads, responsibilities, labour market comparisons, promotion structures, retention challenges and the overall compensation structure across different occupational groups.
UTAG also urged all stakeholders to refrain from rhetoric that could further deepen tensions within the university community.
The association called for the dispute to be resolved through objective assessment, constructive dialogue and engagement among the relevant parties.
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