“We do not have to compare apples and oranges” — UTAG president
The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Vera Ogeh Fiador, says differences in remuneration between university staff groups do not automatically constitute discrimination. She said compensation should instead reflect factors including qualifications, responsibilities, job security, ri...
The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Vera Ogeh Fiador, says differences in remuneration between university staff groups do not automatically constitute discrimination.
She said compensation should instead reflect factors including qualifications, responsibilities, job security, risk and the specific requirements of different professions.
Speaking on theAsaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (11 August), Prof. Fiador said university academics and administrators perform different functions and should not necessarily be expected to have identical remuneration structures.
“We do not have to compare apples and oranges,” she said.
She questioned the basis for directly comparing the remuneration of lecturers with that of administrative staff, pointing to differences in entry requirements and career structures.
Prof. Fiador said becoming a lecturer in the university system requires a PhD, while academic staff also face publication and progression requirements that can affect their continued employment.
She said academics could lose their positions if they failed to progress at the required pace.
“That actually raises an issue of risk premium,” she said.
According to her, allowances may also differ because they compensate for different aspects of a job.
She explained that an academic’s premium could reflect the risk associated with academic progression and job security, while an administrator could receive a responsibility or role allowance linked to the position held.
Prof. Fiador therefore cautioned against comparing individual components of remuneration without considering the entire compensation package.
She said UTAG had no objection to GAUA seeking improved conditions for its members.
“What we are saying categorically is that the wanting more should not be a side-by-side banter in relation to what they believe UTAG got,” she said.
Prof. Fiador said GAUA should make its case based on the value and responsibilities of administrative work rather than using UTAG’s remuneration package as the benchmark.