FWSC CEO Reveals UTAG Deal That Triggered GAUA’s Anger and Ongoing Strike

The Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Dr George Smith-Graham, has expressed surprise that the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) continues to strike despite signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Commission to facilitate further discussions on its concerns about salary disparities.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show on Monday, October 12, 2026, Dr Smith-Graham said negotiations with GAUA had been completed and the association had received its agreed payments.

He explained that the Commission had, however, committed to reviewing additional proposals from the association to address the inequalities it had raised.

According to him, the government has prioritised efforts to address disparities within the Single Spine Salary Structure, with the FWSC and the Ministry of Finance working together to correct existing imbalances across public sector institutions.

He disclosed that negotiations had been concluded with 58 institutions, including GAUA, as part of the broader exercise to address salary-related concerns in the public sector.

Dr Smith-Graham attributed GAUA’s decision to embark on strike to dissatisfaction with the terms secured by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) in its negotiations with the government.

He explained that GAUA became concerned after learning that UTAG had also negotiated with the government and believed the teachers’ association had obtained a more favourable agreement.

The FWSC chief further revealed that GAUA representatives had visited his office about a week earlier, during which both parties signed an MoU to allow the Commission time to consider proposals aimed at resolving the salary disparities.

He said the association had been asked to submit specific recommendations on how the existing inequalities could be addressed, adding that the Commission was equally interested in finding a lasting solution to the concerns.

Dr Smith-Graham emphasised that the agreement to consider further proposals did not mean the initial negotiations with GAUA were still pending.

Rather, the negotiations had been concluded, and the agreed payments had been made.

He said he had expected the association to suspend its industrial action following the understanding reached at the meeting, which was intended to give the Commission sufficient time to examine its proposals.

The FWSC CEO added that he was therefore taken aback when he learnt on Friday that the strike was still ongoing, despite the agreement reached between the two parties.

He reiterated that the Commission remained committed to reviewing GAUA’s proposals and would provide a response by the end of October.

However, he maintained that the earlier negotiations had been completed and the corresponding payments made.

Source: https://www.myjoyonline.com/it-still-surprises-me-gaua-is-on-strike-after-signing-mou-fair-wages-ceo/

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