Teacher unions’ strike: Minority demands immediate payment of teacher arrears, 20% deprived area allowance

The Minority in Parliament has urged the government to urgently address concerns raised by Ghana's teacher unions, in order to prevent an indefinite strike. This call was made after GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG announced their strike, citing unresolved issues with teachers' conditions of service. The Minority highlighted three main issues: delays in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, lack of automatic placement of promoted teachers, and failure to pay Deprived Area Allowance.

These issues are outlined in Section 17(2) of the 2024 Collective Agreement for Teaching Staff. The Caucus also mentioned the negative impact of poor learning outcomes, as evidenced by the BECE results in 2026. They argued that teacher frustration can negatively affect children's education. The Minority further criticized the government for not fully implementing agreements with teachers, such as the Deprived Area Allowance.

They called for immediate negotiations on a new Collective Agreement, payment of outstanding arrears to promoted teachers since January 2026, and the implementation of the 20% Deprived Area Allowance for teachers in hard-to-reach areas. The teacher unions have announced an indefinite strike unless their demands are met, putting additional pressure on the government to address their concerns.