A coalition of non-teaching staff unions in Ghana’s public universities has demanded the immediate suspension and reassessment of a retirement directive issued by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
The unions cautioned that failure to withdraw the policy could disrupt the academic calendar.
In a joint communiqué signed by leaders including Michael Owusu Ansah, George Ansong, Stanley Abopaam, Salamatu Braimah, Ken Yelibo, and Gerard Anamjonga, the unions condemned the directive as “unfair, arbitrary and discriminatory” toward non-teaching personnel.
They stressed that no consultation was held with them before the policy was drafted, insisting it was imposed without dialogue with representatives of the affected workers. The unions further rejected any suggestion that non-teaching staff are insignificant in the governance and administration of public universities.
According to the statement, the directive seeks to alter existing service conditions and university statutes that permit staff to extend their retirement until the close of the academic year.
The unions pointed out that universities have already issued retirement notices to staff, specifying exit dates that have guided how employees planned their lives and prepared for retirement in line with the academic calendar. They described the new directive as an “offence” to staff who had organized their retirement around the earlier timelines.
The unions have therefore issued a two-week ultimatum, warning that if the directive is not rescinded within that period and staff are compelled to retire in their birth month rather than at the end of the academic year, they will “advise themselves.”
The statement concluded with an urgent appeal for swift intervention to ease tensions and prevent disruptions to operations at Ghana’s public universities.
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