Government appeals to striking teachers to suspend action as FWSC talks resume

The government has urged teachers' unions to halt their strike action as talks proceed to resolve their grievances. Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu made the plea on behalf of the government during a meeting with the unions in Accra the day after they announced a strike on Friday. Following the meeting, Iddrisu stated to the press that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission would reconvene with the unions on Tuesday to "continue discussions on their collective agreement and service conditions."

Three teacher unions—Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG)—are staging nationwide strikes due to the government's alleged failure to address outstanding concerns over payment of promotion allowances and unpaid arrears.

In a joint statement on September 25, the unions highlighted three key issues: the delay in negotiating a new collective agreement, the omission of newly promoted teachers from the correct salary scales, and the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance.

The unions argue that the current collective agreement has expired, while negotiations for a new agreement, which were expected to be finalized by June 2026, remain unresolved. They have repeatedly raised this matter with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) without success. The teacher unions are also seeking automatic placement of teachers who passed promotion exams in December 2025 and February 2026 onto their respective salary scales, including retroactive payment of arrears starting January 2026.

Education Minister Iddrisu provided an update on the government's progress. He announced the formation of a validation committee, chaired by the Minister of Employment and Labour, to verify data supporting the implementation of the 20% rural deprived allowance. Iddrisu assured the unions that the government, under President Mahama, remains committed to rolling out the allowance starting January 2027, provided that data validation and a clear roadmap ensuring teacher union representation are established.

Regarding the new salary grade after promotion, the Minister tasked the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to collaborate with the Controller and Accountant General to update data and process salaries for nearly 80,000 affected teachers. As of now, the ministry has verified data for 29,000 teachers. Salaries for September have already been processed, and the remaining data validation for October will be completed by the Controller and Accountant General.

The government team, led by the Minister for Employment and Labour, accompanied by the Minister for Education, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission representative, the Controller and Accountant General, and the Director-General of GES, has engaged in transparent and candid negotiations with the teacher unions in response to their strike.