Four labour unions at the University of Ghana have called for an immediate suspension of plans to transfer campus security operations to private company Possibility Security.
The unions presented a petition to university management on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, after marching through the campus in protest at what they described as inadequate consultation over the proposed arrangement.
The groups involved are the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU), the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Associations of Ghana (FUSSAG), the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSAoUG) and the Public Universities Drivers and Unionized Staff Association of Ghana (PUDUSAG).
They said the university should focus on improving the conditions of service for its employees and providing existing security staff with the resources they need, rather than paying a private company to take over the work.
TEWU Chairman Benjamin Nkumsah warned that the unions would oppose the outsourcing plan if their concerns were not addressed.
He said the university’s current security personnel had continued to work effectively despite being understaffed, and urged management to invest in strengthening and motivating the team.
“Some of the things that we hear on the university campus, you say somebody has raped somebody, somebody has stolen somebody’s things, all those things, can you hear that as media? No. You don’t hear, even though we don’t have the numbers, but the little number that they have, they are doing very well, so that’s why we are saying that if you have those resources that you say you don’t have, to rather pay private, use those resources to motivate them and make sure that they do, they perform well. We are hoping that before Friday, something good must come out of this. If not, we advise ourselves.”
Philip Odei, Vice-Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of the University of Ghana, said the unions were particularly concerned about the effect of the proposal on the jobs of existing security workers.
He called on management to guarantee that no employee would be displaced or declared redundant without consultation. He also urged the university to comply with labour laws and honour collective agreements.
“The unions demand assurance that no employee will be displaced or rendered redundant without consultation, adherence to labour laws, and respect for their collective agreements. We are also suspecting that it is a carefully designed plan to phase out the regular security that we have. The joint unions demand an immediate halt to the outsourcing process. We request an urgent meeting with management to discuss comprehensively its financial implications.”
The Registrar of the University, Michael Opare Atuah, received the petition on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor and said management would consider the unions’ concerns.
“On behalf of the Vice-Chancellor who received this petition, I will convey your message to her and make sure that this petition gets to her. Management has taken note of your consent and management will look at the petition and address them and engage as necessary.”
The unions want the outsourcing process suspended until the issues they have raised are resolved, with further discussions expected between the employees’ representatives and university management.
