The government has outlined a number of measures to address concerns raised by Ghana’s three major pre-tertiary teacher unions following their nationwide strike over unpaid arrears and conditions of service.
The measures were announced after Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu met representatives of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) on Monday, September 28.
Under the arrangements, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) is expected to meet the unions on October 6 to discuss their collective agreement and other conditions of service.
The government has also established a committee, chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, to validate data relating to the proposed 20% Deprived Area Allowance, which is expected to take effect in January 2027.
In addition, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been directed to submit information on promoted teachers to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department by the end of the week. The move is intended to facilitate payment of salaries and arrears for eligible teachers.
The unions have been demanding payment of promotion arrears, implementation of the deprived-area allowance and progress on a new collective agreement.
However, the measures have not yet convinced the unions to end the industrial action. They have maintained that they expect concrete action on outstanding payments rather than further meetings.
The dispute comes as the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department says it has already processed payments for 6,079 teacher promotion cases submitted by GES, out of an expected 58,620 cases.
