UTAG Rejects Claims of Pay Discrimination, Calls for Evidence-Based Review of University Salaries

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has rejected the Ghana Association of University Administrators’ (GAUA) claim that differences in Market Premiums between Teaching and Non-Teaching Senior Members amount to discrimination.

In a statement dated *10/08/2026*, UTAG said GAUA’s decision to reactivate its suspended strike over pay disparities is based on a “misleading narrative” that pits administrators against academics.

UTAG argued that a difference in pay alone does not prove unfairness.

“*No claim of unfairness can be sustained merely by pointing to a difference in remuneration. A disparity, in and of itself, is not evidence of discrimination*,” the Association stated.

The teachers’ union noted that public universities rely on many professional groups — including academics, administrators, accountants, librarians and technicians — whose roles are complementary but not identical. It said institutional importance does not automatically mean occupational equivalence, and that compensation must reflect factors like qualifications, job complexity, labour-market scarcity and retention needs.

UTAG also pushed back against references to the 2012 harmonised 114% Market Premium under the Single Spine, saying pay structures must evolve with labour-market realities and cannot be “frozen in time.”

The Association stressed that it is not opposed to better pay for Non-Teaching Senior Members.

“*We support fair, transparent, and sustainable conditions of service for all workers... What we reject is the false premise that fairness can only be achieved by collapsing legitimate distinctions between fundamentally different occupational groups. Fairness does not mean sameness. Equity does not require uniformity*.”

UTAG is calling on Government, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the Ministry of Education, the National Labour Commission and other stakeholders to conduct an *independent, transparent and comprehensive review* of the remuneration system for Senior Members in public universities. The review, it said, should cover qualifications, workloads, market comparators and retention challenges.

The union further urged all parties to avoid “inflammatory narratives” that could damage working relations on campuses, saying the focus should be on whether pay for each category can be objectively justified, not on “who matters more.”

UTAG said it remains committed to constructive engagement and protecting the integrity and quality of Ghana’s higher education system.