The Technical Universities Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) has declared its support for the ongoing strike action by the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), saying the two groups face similar concerns over pay disparities and conditions of service.

In a statement dated August 9, TUSAAG said it “associates itself fully” with the industrial action and considers GAUA’s demands inseparable from its own concerns.

The two associations jointly submitted a conditions of service proposal for negotiation, but according to TUSAAG, the proposal was rejected on grounds of transitional limitations on the part of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.

An interim allowance was subsequently negotiated in place of the conditions of service agreement.

TUSAAG said it and GAUA have since observed what it described as concerning pay disparities arising from the negotiations.

“The unequal treatment and unresolved grievances that GAUA is contesting mirror the very concerns TUSAAG has raised through the same negotiations, and we recognize in GAUA's decision to strike a struggle that is, in every practical sense, our own,” the statement said.

The association said strike action was not taken lightly, arguing that it follows persistent concerns, stalled negotiations and the inability to safeguard members’ interests through dialogue alone.

“Having sat at the same negotiating table and faced the same pay disparities, TUSAAG fully appreciates why GAUA has been left with no option but to withdraw its services,” it said.

TUSAAG has consequently pledged to stand with GAUA, its leadership and members throughout the industrial action.

It also said it regards GAUA’s demands as inseparable from its own and will not distance itself from the dispute.

The association is calling on the relevant authorities and stakeholders to engage GAUA “in good faith, with urgency and sincerity” to resolve the pay disparities and other issues at the centre of the dispute.

TUSAAG further said it would continue monitoring developments and remain ready to provide additional support towards what it described as a just resolution.

The association also commended GAUA’s leadership for its resolve in defending the interests of its members and urged stakeholders in the tertiary education sector to support a swift and equitable resolution.