The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has held a crunch meeting with the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and other teacher unions, together with the Controller and Accountant General's Department, in a bid to avert threatened strike action.
GNAT had given the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other relevant authorities up to September 7, 2026, to resolve outstanding issues concerning promotion placements, career progression and the renewal of teachers' Collective Agreement, or face possible industrial action.
The association said the prolonged delay in placing teachers who had been promoted had created financial difficulties, uncertainty and frustration among affected members, who continued to work without receiving the benefits attached to their new ranks. In a statement, GNAT called on the GES, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Public Services Commission (PSC) to expedite the processes needed to implement outstanding promotion placements.
On promotion placement, GNAT said although many teachers had successfully gone through the required processes and been promoted, delays in placement had prevented them from receiving the corresponding benefits and recognition attached to their new ranks. It called for all outstanding promotion placements to be processed and implemented by August 31, 2026, in line with a directive issued by the GES in its press release of July 28, 2026.
The association also raised concerns about the continued delay in decoupling the Directors II and I ranks from being coterminous with the positions of District and Regional Directors, saying the situation had affected career progression opportunities and created stagnation within the professional structure of the GES. It called for the necessary processes to be completed to allow teachers occupying the affected ranks to progress in their careers.
On the Collective Agreement governing teachers' terms and conditions of service, GNAT expressed concern that the existing agreement had expired on July 31, 2026, creating uncertainty for teachers and requiring urgent action from the relevant stakeholders. It called for negotiations on the agreement to be fast-tracked to protect teachers' interests and welfare.
The association said it expected the GES, FWSC and other relevant stakeholders to act on the issues by September 7, 2026, to avert any industrial action. It said the call formed part of decisions taken by GNAT's National Executive at a meeting held at the association's headquarters in Accra on August 7, 2026.
