Show Us Evidence, Not Promises – Striking teachers Tell Gov’t

The leadership of pre-tertiary teacher unions in Ghana's Upper West Region has declared their ongoing nationwide strike will continue until the government provides tangible evidence that their longstanding grievances have been resolved. At a joint press conference, representatives of three major unions – GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT-GH – emphasized their commitment to their national leadership and dismissed verbal assurances as insufficient.

Upper West Regional Secretary of GNAT, Ransford Owusu-Adjei, highlighted three key unresolved issues: stalled negotiations on their expired Collective Agreement, the failure to place promoted teachers on the correct salary scales with accumulated arrears paid, and the non-implementation of the agreed 20% deprived area allowance.

Owusu-Adjei stressed that teachers have endured enough patience and appeals for promises, and now demand concrete evidence of progress. He warned that unimplemented promotions are of little value. The unions also criticized the non-payment of the 20% allowance to teachers in deprived communities, agreed upon since 2016, who have endured harsh conditions for a decade while awaiting implementation.

NAGRAT's Upper West Regional Chairman, Dominic Yaw Tunti, described the situation as dire, advising parents to keep their children at home for their safety. He reported deserted schools with no teachers present, citing parents' complaints about their children's safety.