Non-teaching staff at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have declared an indefinite strike in protest over their exclusion from the university’s newly constituted Governing Council.
The industrial action, declared by the KNUST chapter of the Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH), took effect on Wednesday (30 April) — just a day after the university inaugurated its new Council, chaired by Akyamfoɔ Asafo Boakye Agyemang-Bonsu.
TEWU-GH leadership says the decision by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to appoint a rival union, TEWU-TUC, as the official representative of non-teaching staff on the Council amounts to a denial of their rights and undermines democratic principles in labour representation.
According to TEWU-GH, it commands the majority of unionised workers at KNUST, with 789 members compared to TEWU-TUC’s 123. The group argues that GTEC’s decision to side with the minority union violates the will of the majority and reflects bias in the governance of tertiary education institutions.
At a news conference held on campus, TEWU-GH Chairman Charles Arthur described the move as “a clear act of suppression” and called on national authorities, including the President and Chief of Staff, to intervene.
The union is demanding the immediate removal of TEWU-TUC from the university’s Governing Council and the recognition of TEWU-GH as the legitimate representative body. Members say they will not return to work until the decision is reversed.
The strike is expected to disrupt key administrative and support services at the university, raising fresh concerns about labour relations in Ghana’s public tertiary institutions.
