Four major public universities have threatened to reactivate their suspended strike unless the Government immediately settles long-overdue promotion arrears owed to academic staff.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, 14th September 2026, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) chapters at the University of Ghana, KNUST, UCC, and UENR expressed deep frustration over the continued delays, despite explicit financial approval.
The Ministry of Finance authorised the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department in July 2026 to release funds covering arrears accumulated between 2023 and 2025.
“The issue is therefore no longer whether payment has been authorised. It has. What remains is the commitment to payment,” the statement read, stressing that these payments are earned entitlements rather than discretionary benefits.
The union warned that its patience has worn thin, cautioning that “restraint cannot be in perpetuity.”
Alongside full payment, the four branches are demanding immediate administrative approval to settle future promotion arrears directly on the national payroll as they accrue.
Speaking in an interview on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM’s Nyankonton Mu Nsem, KNUST UTAG Chapter President, Professor Eric KK Abavare, confirmed that a strike is now the only remaining option.
“We suspended the intended strike in good faith to allow Government and relevant state institutions to honour their commitments without disrupting academic activities, but the continued delay now undermines the basis for the suspension,” Prof Abavare said.
“As four unions, we have taken a firm decision to lay down our tools because we’ve been taken for granted for far too long,” he added.
The unions warned that any imminent disruption to the academic calendar remains entirely avoidable if the authorities act immediately.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
