President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says its members cannot continue to bear the brunt of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission's failure to review salaries.

Prof Mamudu Akudugu insists that the Commission has been unable to fulfill its mandate, and it is unfair for UTAG to suffer because of this.

He said this in an interview on JoyNews after a meeting between the said parties ended abruptly over differences.

“When you now come and tell us that this is not on the table for discussion, we cannot talk about it because there is a government white paper that freezes it, and it is the prerogative of the government to determine it (salary) and all that. Yes, if you have the prerogative to do something, do it because people are affected," he said on Thursday, January 11.

• Read also: UTAG, TUTAG walk out of Fair Wages and Salaries Commission meeting

Speaking on the AM Show, the UTAG President highlighted that the government's efforts to increase student enrollment in secondary schools through the double-track system have not been matched by increased capacity in tertiary institutions.

Mr. Akudugu stated that, as a result, university lecturers are overburdened by large class sizes, with no new universities being built to accommodate the influx of new students.

“In terms of human resources, the number of lecturers still remains, when you are expanding at the base, you should be thinking about what happens at the top. But if we expand that base and limit the top, then one of the things that we have also been concerned with is, for example, what some of the students in the professional programme want to do in the university.

"You have over 1,000 students applying to do pharmacy, and then you have the professional body, the pharmacy counsel, saying you can only admit 75. What do you do with the rest?"

Background

UTAG and TUTAG had a meeting with the FWSC that ended without a resolution on Wednesday, January 10, 2024.

The associations stated that the FWSC did not show good faith, was disrespectful, and lacked a sense of urgency in addressing their concerns.

The associations expressed frustration and a lack of willingness to continue engaging in meetings that do not lead to meaningful changes in their service conditions.

They warned that if their voices are not heard, they will find other ways to make themselves heard.