KNUST administrators join indefinite GAUA strike over allowances

Members of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have joined the association’s nationwide indefinite strike, leaving offices deserted on the second day of the industrial action.

The strike, which began after GAUA reaffirmed its decision on Monday, 10 August 2026, is being observed by administrators at KNUST, where locked offices and largely empty parking areas were visible at the university’s administration block.

Several GAUA members were absent from their usual posts during a visit to the campus, while offices occupied by members of the association remained closed.

The action follows a dispute over what GAUA describes as growing disparities in market premiums and related allowances between teaching senior members and non-teaching senior members.

GAUA says it supports efforts to improve the conditions of service for teaching senior members. However, the association insists that those improvements should not create what it regards as unfair or discriminatory treatment of non-teaching senior members.

At the university’s IT Department, a number of GAUA members were not at work. Other employees, including staff affiliated with different unions and contract workers, remained on duty and continued attending to students.

The association’s indefinite strike entered its second day on Tuesday, 11 August, with the absence of GAUA members providing visible evidence of the industrial action across parts of the KNUST campus.

The dispute centres on the treatment of senior members working in teaching and non-teaching roles, particularly the differences in market premiums and associated allowances. GAUA’s position is that any adjustment made to the conditions of service for one group should not disadvantage or discriminate against another.

The developments at KNUST form part of the association’s broader nationwide action. GAUA declared the indefinite strike and confirmed its position on Monday, after raising concerns about what it considers widening inequalities in the payment of premiums and related benefits.

Although some university services continued, the presence of staff from other unions and contract workers meant that not all operations at the IT Department were affected in the same way. Students were still being attended to in that department despite the absence of several GAUA members.

Citi News observed that most offices linked to GAUA members during its campus visit were locked and unoccupied. The empty parking spaces around the administration block and the closed offices offered further signs that members were complying with the strike.

The association’s action remains focused on the differences between the benefits received by teaching senior members and those available to non-teaching senior members. GAUA maintains that improvements for teaching staff must be implemented in a way that ensures fair treatment for non-teaching administrators.

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