TheUniversity Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says university managements are best placed to determine how the ongoing strike by administrators will affect the operations of public universities.

UTAG President Prof. Vera Ogeh Fiador said administrative staff perform critical functions within universities, but responsibility for maintaining essential operations during the industrial action rests primarily with university management.

She was responding to questions about the potential disruption caused by the withdrawal of services by members of theGhana Association of University Administrators (GAUA).

GAUA members are responsible for functions including admissions, procurement, finance, human resources, promotions and appointments.

Prof. Fiador said management teams would know which services could cause institutions to become dysfunctional and should therefore take the necessary steps to keep university systems operating.

“They would know which statement would cause the institutions to cripple,” she said on theAsaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (11 August).

Her comments came as GAUA defended its decision to withdraw services despite concerns that the action could affect students.

GAUA National President Rev. Kwaku Karikari Amoah said the union recognised that its members had responsibilities involving admissions, transcripts, graduation processes and other services, but maintained that its members also had the right to strike.

He said the union hoped the government would respond to its concerns quickly so that the industrial action would not continue for an extended period.

The dispute centres on remuneration negotiations, including the treatment of allowances and what GAUA says was the subsequent description of its negotiated package as a new market premium.

Prof. Fiador said UTAG was not opposed to GAUA pursuing improved remuneration but maintained that the administrators’ demands should be assessed independently from the package negotiated by academic staff.