The National Executive Council (NEC) of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says they acknowledge with appreciation the government’s affirmation of post-retirement contract arrangements for scholars who, upon retirement, possess a wealth of tacit and explicit knowledge.
UTAG stated that the continued contributions in mentoring, postgraduate supervision, advanced research, project development, and grantsmanship by retiree scholars are invaluable to the academic community and national development.
They expressed the view that extending or offering a post-retirement contract to our members allows for impactful lifelong service.
“However, UTAG strongly opposes the allocation of office-holding roles to post-retirement contract staff. This stance is informed by the significant number of qualified active members who are available and capable of serving in such leadership and administrative roles.
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“NEC emphasises that recent court rulings and earlier decisions by GTEC—particularly those relating to CKTUTAS, SDD-UBIDS, and UniMAC- should guide institutions in avoiding such administrative challenges,” a communique they issued at the end of the Third Quarter National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of the UTAG held at the Akenten Appiah Minka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) said.
It added “We firmly advocate that retired academic staff on contract be engaged primarily in research, mentorship, and teaching roles, rather than occupying positions of administrative authority. In this regard, UTAG respectfully calls on GTEC to withdraw its directive contained in the letter dated 16th May 2025, which permits post-retirement contract staff to hold office upon application.”
Backround
It is recalled that organised labour urged President John Mahama to conduct extensive consultations prior to the rollout of the directive that suspends the granting of contract extension to retired public servants.
The labour representatives argue that the directive has sparked unrest among workers, who express concerns over the potential loss of experienced superiors, individuals with deep knowledge of the workings of the public and civil services.
Read also: Suspension of retirement contract: We’ll lose experienced hands – Organised Labour tells Mahama
The leadership from the labour unions spoke exclusively with 3news’ Labour Affairs Correspondent, Daniel Opoku, in Accra on April 8.
Over the years, many public and civil services employees who reach retirement age have had their contracts extended to retain their expertise.
In Ghana’s public and civil services, over 700,000 workers are currently employed, each year, more than 1,000 of them retire.
However, recent developments have raised concerns, as President John Dramani Mahama has issued a directive to suspend post-retirement employment. The directive has been met with discontent from some leaders of Organised Labour.
The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, said the directive should not take immediate effect.
