Promotion arrears alone cannot end teachers’ strike — PRETAG

The Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) has stated that the government's commitment to clearing outstanding promotion arrears alone is insufficient to end the nationwide teachers' strike. While the association acknowledges the government's decision to initiate processing of some outstanding promotion arrears and their commitment to complete the payments by October 30, PRETAG believes additional assurances are required for the teacher unions to suspend the industrial action.

Among the unresolved issues is a 20% professional allowance that has remained unpaid despite commitments made by different administrations. PRETAG President King Ali Awudu highlighted that the issue has persisted for several years, citing an announcement by former Education Minister Alex Tetteh-Enyo in 2009 that the allowance would be introduced for teachers.

He emphasized that the unions have not seen concrete action on this provision or other demands contained in their collective agreement, and thus, will not consider ending the strike until these broader concerns are addressed. Despite the government's pledge to settle the outstanding arrears, Mr. Awudu expressed the difficulty in calling off the strike, asserting that concrete steps on the outstanding demands would be necessary for the unions to reconsider their position.