The Technical University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG) has declared an indefinite strike effective Thursday, 1 October 2026, citing government’s failure to resolve two critical labour concerns affecting its members nationwide.
Addressing a press conference at Ho Technical University, National President Prof. Deodat E. Adenutsi said the decision followed a unanimous resolution passed at TUTAG’s Congress held on 24 September 2026, after months of unsuccessful engagement with relevant government agencies.
He noted that the Association had first raised the concerns publicly on 14 August 2026, in Accra, well ahead of the eventual strike declaration.
The first substantive issue cited by TUTAG concerns unpaid remuneration for members engaged on post-retirement contracts. According to the Association, some members have remained unpaid for over 27 months despite having rendered services under valid contractual agreements.
TUTAG said it has exhausted all available avenues to resolve the matter, including meetings and formal correspondence with the Ministries of Education and Finance, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, and the National Labour Commission.
While duty bearers have acknowledged the obligation to pay, the Association said no tangible solution has materialised.
Prof. Adenutsi disclosed that some affected colleagues have died while still awaiting payment of their remuneration, describing the deaths as underscoring the human cost of prolonged non-payment.
“Tragically, some of these affected colleagues have died while awaiting the payment of their remuneration.”
TUTAG, National President Prof. Deodat E. Adenutsi
TUTAG is demanding the immediate settlement of all verified outstanding remuneration, along with a clear, written payment timetable that includes provisions for deceased colleagues to be paid through their lawful representatives.
Unilateral Changes to The Scheme of Service
The second major concern raised by TUTAG relates to what it describes as the unilateral variation of the agreed Scheme of Service originally issued on 8 October 2021, allegedly carried out by government agencies without consultation with the Association.
On the status of librarians, TUTAG pointed to inconsistent interpretations of eligibility for academic librarian status, which it said has created uncertainty around conditions of service and remuneration parity among affected staff.
The Association is demanding resolution of these classification discrepancies, along with payment of market premium and associated arrears.
Regarding Assistant Lecturers and Assistant Research Fellows, TUTAG objected to a GTEC directive issued on 31 July 2025, which requires a completed PhD before re-designation as Lecturer or Research Fellow.
The Association argues that the 2021 Scheme of Service only requires PhD enrolment, alongside demonstrated service, teaching performance and publication output, as conditions for such re-designation.
Scope Of the Strike Action
Prof. Adenutsi declared that, effective immediately, all TUTAG members would withdraw services related to teaching, supervision of students’ research, and submission of examination marks, with no set end date for the action.
He clarified, however, that members would continue to perform other professional duties, including attending meetings, serving on boards and committees, conducting research, and rendering community service, indicating a deliberate decision to limit the scope of the withdrawal to specific academic functions rather than a complete shutdown of all professional activity.
In addressing the implications of the industrial action, Prof. Adenutsi acknowledged the disruption such a strike causes to students, families and university communities, framing the decision as one taken with full awareness of its consequences.
“As teachers, we take that consequence seriously. We also have a responsibility to defend the conditions that enable our members to teach, conduct research and serve their institutions with dignity.”
TUTAG, National President Prof. Deodat E. Adenutsi
Implications For Technical Universities
The strike is expected to directly affect teaching, research supervision and examination processes across Ghana’s technical universities, at a time when institutions are navigating their own academic calendars.
With TUTAG citing both unresolved financial obligations and unilateral changes to agreed service conditions, the dispute reflects broader tensions between academic staff associations and government agencies over the implementation of previously negotiated agreements.
As the strike takes effect, attention will turn to how quickly the Ministries of Education and Finance, GTEC and other relevant agencies respond to TUTAG’s demands, particularly regarding the outstanding post-retirement contract payments and the disputed scheme of service provisions affecting librarians and Assistant Lecturers across the country’s technical university system.
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