Ghana’s pre-tertiary teacher unions are meeting the government today, September 28, in a fresh attempt to resolve outstanding concerns over promotion arrears, conditions of service and other demands that triggered their nationwide strike.
The meeting between the government and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) comes after the unions declared immediate nationwide industrial action over unresolved issues affecting teachers.
The teacher unions’ strike began on Friday, September 25, following the failure to resolve concerns over the payment of promotion arrears and negotiations on a new Collective Agreement.
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The unions have also raised concerns about the automatic placement of teachers who completed promotion examinations onto their appropriate salary scales, as well as the implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance.
The existing Collective Agreement has expired, while negotiations for a new agreement remain outstanding. The unions had earlier given the government until midday on September 24 to resolve the issues.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba has indicated that the unions remain willing to engage the government if Monday’s meeting provides a genuine opportunity to resolve the issues behind the nationwide teacher strike.
“Our reason for raising the issues is to resolve them, so if there is an avenue for us to resolve them, we will avail ourselves and make sure that we resolve the issues.”
“I had a call and was told the Ministry of Education called, but while I was driving today, I had a call from the Chief Director of the Ministry of Employment, Jobs and Labour Relations that there is going to be a meeting and we will definitely be at the meeting to try and resolve our issues,” he said.
The Ministry of Education has expressed concern about the potential impact of the teacher unions’ strike on Ghana’s academic calendar.
The ministry has said the outstanding issues cannot be resolved by the Education Ministry alone because they involve institutions including the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD).
The Monday meeting is therefore expected to bring the relevant institutions and the teacher unions together to discuss the outstanding demands and explore a possible resolution.
The development comes as CAGD says it has fully processed and paid 6,079 promotion cases submitted by the Ghana Education Service (GES), including applicable arrears effective January 1, 2026.
According to CAGD, GES had submitted the required promotion letters and completed input forms for the 6,079 cases as of September 22, 2026. The department said all the cases had subsequently been processed and paid as part of September salaries.
CAGD said, however, that the 6,079 cases were only part of an expected 58,620 promotion cases and that outstanding payments relate to cases for which the required documentation has not yet been submitted by GES.
The department explained that promotion-related salary adjustments can only be processed after the necessary documentation has been received and validated.
The unions are seeking concrete action on promotion arrears, salary placement, conditions of service and other outstanding demands, while the government is expected to use the meeting to address the concerns and seek an end to the industrial action.
For teachers, students and parents, the immediate issue is whether the negotiations will produce sufficient progress to pave the way for the suspension of the strike and the restoration of normal academic activities.