Pre‑tertiary teacher unions – the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Pre‑Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) – are scheduled to meet the government on Monday, September 28, in a fresh attempt to resolve outstanding concerns over their conditions of service and end their nationwide strike.
The meeting follows the declaration of an immediate nationwide strike by the three unions over unresolved issues including unpaid promotion arrears and delays in negotiations on their conditions of service.
Union leaders have maintained that their concerns require urgent attention, including the payment of arrears owed to teachers who have been promoted and the resolution of outstanding conditions of service issues.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba told reporters the unions remained open to engaging the government if there was a genuine opportunity to resolve the issues that triggered the 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,” he said. “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.”
The engagement is expected to bring the unions and relevant government institutions together to deliberate on the outstanding concerns and explore measures to resolve the dispute. The Education Ministry has said it is concerned about the potential impact of the strike on the academic calendar.
What to watch: The outcome of the meeting could determine whether schools resume normal operations and whether the unions’ demands for arrears and better service conditions are met.
