GAUA Strike: GTEC orders senior management officials to resume work

• GTEC has directed senior management officials participating in the GAUA and TUSAAG strike to resume work immediately.

• Vice-Chancellors must submit details of senior officials who fail to comply with the directive within 48 hours. .

• GTEC warned universities not to allow the strike to disrupt examinations, student services, healthcare, finance and other critical operations.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed senior management officials of public universities who are participating in the ongoing industrial action by the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) to return to work immediately.

In a directive issued to public universities on Monday, August 17, GTEC said senior management officials hold executive, managerial and policy-making positions that come with specific responsibilities to their institutions.

The Commission noted that their positions may limit their participation in industrial action under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).

READ ALSO: Mahama says Ghana’s cedi is long overdue for a refresh

According to GTEC, the participation of senior management officials in the strike could create a conflict of interest, particularly when they are expected to represent their institutions in engagements with trade unions and oversee the continuity of essential university operations.

The Commission has therefore instructed the affected officials to resume their duties.

It also directed Vice-Chancellors of public universities to submit a register of all senior management officials who participated in the industrial action but failed to comply with the directive.

The register, GTEC said, must be submitted within 48 hours of the directive being received.

READ ALSO: 'Don’t sleep with anyone for favours’ – 83-year-old Lt. Col. Georgina Mensah advises young women

GTEC has further cautioned public universities against allowing the industrial action to disrupt essential institutional and student services.

These include end-of-semester examinations, auditing, internet and telecommunications services, student portals and registration systems, healthcare, cleaning and janitorial services, finance, salary processing and other essential payments.

The Commission warned that any unlawful disruption of essential services could amount to a breach of the Labour Act and other applicable laws.

The directive comes as the ongoing industrial action by GAUA continues to affect activities at some public universities.

READ ALSO: Plantain ripening claims at Madina market: What the FDA found and what consumers should know

The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and other institutions have reportedly suspended scheduled examinations as a result of the strike.

GTEC has urged members of GAUA and TUSAAG to exercise restraint and ensure that their industrial action remains within the confines of the law.