Striking Teacher Unions Reject Calls For More Time, Demand Payment Of Arrears

Accra – Pre-tertiary teacher unions have rejected calls for more time from government to address their grievances, insisting they want payment of all arrears owed and not meetings.

The three unions – Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) – declared an indefinite nationwide strike effective Friday, September 25, 2026, after government failed to meet their demands by the September 24 deadline.

The unions are scheduled to meet the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu today, Monday, September 28, at 10:30am to discuss their conditions of service and outstanding payments.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Communications Director of PRETAG, Kingsley Anyimadu told Citi News that the unions have no fresh demands to present.

“There are three major issues. Two of them are about payment, and we do not have any fresh issues to raise. All we are expecting and asking the government to do is to make the payments,” he said.

According to Mr. Anyimadu, the first issue is the Deprived Area Allowance. He said the allowance has already been negotiated and teachers were promised payment by the end of September, but it has not been done.

“The first one is the Deprived Area Allowance. That one has been negotiated as we speak. That has not been done, and we were promised that it was going to be paid at the end of September. That has not been done,” he stressed.

The second major concern is promotion arrears. The unions disclosed that about 80,000 teachers who successfully passed their promotion examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 are yet to be placed on their appropriate salary scales with arrears dating from January 2026.

Mr. Anyimadu said the unions met with the Minister of Education, the Controller and Accountant-General and the Minister of Finance in August and September where they were assured the payments would be settled by the end of September.

“September has ended, salary has come, and it has not been paid. So what else do they want us to discuss? What else? Going to plead for more time,” he questioned.

The third issue is the delay in negotiating a new Collective Agreement after the expiration of the previous agreement in June 2026.

The Ministry of Education has expressed deep concern about the impact of the strike on the academic calendar and says it is working with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to resolve the impasse.