Omanghana
Ghana’s three major pre-tertiary teacher unions have given the government until midday on Thursday, September 24, 2026, to resolve outstanding promotion arrears and salary placement challenges or face widespread industrial action.
The ultimatum was issued on Tuesday, September 22, following growing frustration among teachers affected by delays in receiving salaries that reflect their newly attained ranks.
Union leaders described the deadline as “not a threat but a promise,” warning that they would no longer be able to prevent their members from withdrawing their services if the government failed to honor its commitments.
The dispute follows the suspension of a planned nationwide strike on August 31, 2026, after discussions with the Ministry of Education. During those negotiations, the government reportedly agreed to ensure that approximately 80,000 promoted teachers were automatically placed on their appropriate salary scales by September.
Authorities also promised to establish a supplementary payroll to cover teachers who could not be processed through the regular end-of-month payroll system. The unions, however, said the arrangement had not been implemented effectively, leaving many members without their promotion-related salary adjustments and arrears.
Beyond the placement of promoted teachers, the unions are demanding the immediate payment of the Deprived Area Allowance for eligible educators working in underserved communities.
They have also raised concerns about delays in negotiations for the renewal of their Collective Agreement, which regulates teachers’ conditions of service and other employment benefits.
The unions said the continued failure to address the issues had created financial hardship and growing dissatisfaction among their members.
Local union branches have been asked to remain calm and await further instructions from their national leadership as the Thursday deadline approaches. However, the unions cautioned that failure to reach an acceptable resolution could disrupt teaching and learning in public pre-tertiary schools nationwide.
Source: Omanghana
