The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has pushed back against claims by the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) over unpaid allowances, insisting that negotiations with the association have already been concluded.

The Commission said it was surprised by GAUA’s decision to compare its allowances and conditions of service with those of university lecturers, arguing that such comparisons could create unnecessary tension among organised labour groups.

GAUA is currently on strike over concerns about its conditions of service and allowances.

However, the Chief Executive of the FWSC, Dr Smith Graham, said the Commission had held extensive discussions with the administrators and reached an agreement with them before concluding negotiations with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG).

“Frankly, the argument they are putting across is very unfair to the labour front and very unfair to everybody. First of all, we have met with them, and we have had lengthy discussions with them and concluded negotiations with them,” he said.

Dr Graham said the subsequent comparison with UTAG was inappropriate, stressing that negotiations with different labour groups were conducted separately. “Then it came to the time of UTAG, and we concluded with UTAG.

It is surprising to see when one group is doing a comparison in the labour front. It is not even done,” he added.

Despite its concerns about GAUA’s position, the FWSC said it remained open to further discussions to address any outstanding grievances.

Dr Graham urged the administrators to return to the negotiating table, saying, “We are ready to engage them to address their concerns.”