By Nii Martey M. Botchway
The Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), has urged the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), to expedite action on their Conditions of Service (CoS).
It said the commission as a matter of urgency needed to act on their CoS which were due to expire by the end of the year.
Speaking at the 50th TUTAG Delegates Congress held in the Accra, Professor Uriah Stonewell Tetteh, National President Of TUTAG, said the association was ready to cooperate with the FWSC to fast track the process.
Explaining the urgency of the matter, he said TUTAG had submitted its CoS for review and implementation over a year with the belief that it would have been attended to earlier.
He said unfortunately the process had taken longer than expected, and considering the fact that the CoS were about to expire, it had become necessary that it was attended immediately.
He said the labour law stipulated that conditions of service, including the IGF, and the Government of Ghana components, were amended every two years.
“It is for this reason that we want to really partner with the FWSc to quickly expedite the processes before it expires in December,” he said.
“It is our belief that the commission would expedite action on both the expired and the yet to expire ones to the benefit of our members,” he added.
Touching on the theme, “Sustainable Skills for a Sustainable Future: Aligning Technical Education with National and Global Development Goals,” Prof Tetteh urged academic unions to unite in tackling the challenges facing technical universities.
He emphasised the need for Technical universities to stay relevant by adapting to evolving labour market demands and technological changes.
He further urged the delegates to work collectively towards building a globally competitive and sustainable technical education system.
He expressed gratitude to the management of the Accra Technical University, the host, and rallied support for ongoing efforts to strengthen Technical education across the country.
Reacting to TUTAG’s appeal, Dr. George Smith-Graham, the Chief Executive of the FWSC, proposed an amendment to the negotiation cycle for conditions of service from the current two years to every three years.
The move he said, would help ease fiscal pressures on the government, and give it room to plan, and promote stability in the management of public sector wages.
“We must strike a balance between meeting the needs of workers and ensuring fiscal sustainability,” he said.
Emphasizing the critical role of technical education in Ghana’s development, Dr. Smith-Graham who cited skills mismatch and graduate unemployment as major challenges for the country and advocated for policies that aligned training with market needs and compensation frameworks.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, in a speech delivered on his behalf, also called for a re-examination of current technical education programmes to ensure their practicality and relevance to market demands.
Highlighting the transformative potential of technology in areas such as agriculture, safety, and waste management, he called for partnerships to strengthen research, innovation, and digital literacy.
He said despite Ghana’s economic challenges, he was optimistic that collaboration, innovation, and community engagement could drive progress in technical education and technological development.
Congress
The bi-annual congress which aims at identifying challenges confronting the association, and providing measures to address them brought together delegates from all technical universities across the country.
GNA
27 Aug. 2025
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong