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Ghana’s three major pre-tertiary teacher unions have rejected the government’s appeal to suspend their nationwide strike, insisting that teachers will remain off duty until concrete action is taken on their outstanding demands.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) began the industrial action on September 25, 2026, over concerns relating to promotion arrears, a new Collective Agreement and the Deprived Area Allowance.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu met the leadership of the three unions in Accra on Monday as government sought to find a resolution and minimise disruption to teaching and learning.
Following the meeting, Mr Iddrisu appealed to the unions to return to the classroom while negotiations continued.
He said the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) would meet the unions on Tuesday to continue discussions on their Collective Agreement and conditions of service.
However, the unions said they were not prepared to call off the strike based solely on further assurances.
Teachers demand concrete action
GNAT Head of Salaries Isaac Nii Baah said the unions had heard promises from government before and were now demanding evidence that the outstanding payments and other commitments were actually being implemented.
He said teachers would remain at home until promotion arrears were reflected on their payslips and credited to their accounts.
The unions’ position means the nationwide strike remains in force while discussions between the government and teacher representatives continue.
PRETAG Vice-President Adokwei Ayikwei Awulley also said the unions had yet to see sufficient progress on the three main issues that triggered the industrial action.
Three major issues behind the strike
The unions have identified three principal areas of concern.
1. Delayed Collective Agreement
The unions say the existing Collective Agreement has expired, while negotiations on a replacement agreement remain incomplete.
They argue that negotiations should have been concluded by June 2026 and that the delay has affected the implementation of conditions and allowances covered by the agreement.
2. Promotion placement and arrears
The unions are demanding the automatic placement of teachers who successfully passed promotion examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 onto their new salary grades.
They are also seeking payment of arrears dating back to January 2026.
The government says work is underway to address the issue.
CAGD provides clarification
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department has provided figures on the promotion-related payments.
According to CAGD, GES had submitted complete documentation for 6,079 teachers, and all those cases had been processed and paid with the September 2026 salaries, including arrears effective January 1, 2026.
However, CAGD said it had received documentation for only 6,079 of an expected 58,620 promotion cases.
The department explained that the outstanding cases could not be processed until GES submits the required promotion letters and completed documentation for validation.
This difference between the number of cases processed and the much larger number of teachers awaiting placement remains one of the central issues in the dispute.
Government sets out roadmap
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said government had taken steps to address the concerns.
He said a validation committee, chaired by the Minister for Employment and Labour, had been established to validate data relating to the proposed 20 per cent Deprived Area Allowance.
The government has indicated that it intends to implement the allowance from January 2027, subject to validation of the relevant data and an agreed roadmap involving the teacher unions.
Mr Iddrisu also said the Ghana Education Service and Controller and Accountant-General’s Department were working to update and validate information on promoted teachers.
The Education Ministry has previously indicated that about 80,000 teachers could be affected by the wider promotion-related exercise.
NAGRAT to consult its councils
While GNAT has publicly insisted that teachers should remain on strike until payments are visible, NAGRAT has indicated that it will consult its councils before taking a final position on the government’s latest proposals.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba said the union would engage its structures over the proposals concerning promotion-related arrears and the Deprived Area Allowance.
This leaves the next step dependent on further consultations between the unions and their respective leadership structures.
Government concerned about school calendar
The Education Ministry has repeatedly warned that the industrial action could disrupt Ghana’s academic calendar.
The government recently worked to restore the country’s school calendar to a September-to-July cycle, with learners across different levels returning to school in September.
The ministry has therefore appealed to teachers to return to the classroom while the outstanding issues are addressed.
For now, however, the unions have maintained their position that promises alone are insufficient.
The government and teacher unions are expected to continue negotiations, with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission scheduled to engage the unions on their Collective Agreement and conditions of service.
The immediate question is whether the ongoing talks will produce enough concrete action to convince the unions to suspend the strike and return teachers to classrooms nationwide.
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