Haruna Iddrisu, Isaac Baah
The teacher unions have rejected a plea by the government to call off their strike, insisting that they will not return to the classroom until concrete steps are taken to address their outstanding demands, including the payment of promotion arrears.
The unions, made up of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), said they have heard enough assurances from the government and will now want evidence of action before reconsidering their decision to remain on strike.
The decision followed a meeting between the leadership of the teacher unions and the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, and other government officials yesterday.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Head of Salaries, Grievances and Negotiations at GNAT, Isaac Baah, said the meeting did not produce any new commitments beyond previous assurances given by the government to resolve the concerns that triggered the industrial action.
According to him, the unions are no longer prepared to rely on promises, noting, “Indeed, we met the minister and his team this afternoon with regard to our strike action. It has been the old story of promises upon promises.”
“At the moment, we are not taking promises. We want action,” he insisted and added that the unions would maintain the strike until they saw tangible evidence that the government had begun implementing its commitments.
“Our teachers must continue to stay home until we see something concrete,” Mr. Baah intimated and explained that the unions are demanding the payment of outstanding promotion arrears and progress in negotiations on their conditions of service.
Meanwhile, the government has outlined measures aimed at addressing some of the concerns raised by the striking unions.
The Education Ministry, in a statement issued yesterday, said the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission would meet the unions on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 to engage them on their collective agreement and conditions of service.
The Ministry also said a committee chaired by the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations had been established to validate data relating to the government’s commitment to implement a 20 percent deprived-area allowance for teachers, effective January 2027.
In addition, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been directed to submit data on promoted teachers to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department by the end of this week, the statement added.
By Ernest Kofi Adu