GNAT rejects gov’t fresh assurances, demands implementation of August 31 agreement
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has dismissed fresh assurances from the government regarding the issues behind the ongoing teachers’ strike, insisting that the commitments contained in the August 31 agreement must first be fulfilled.
The Ministry of Education has again appealed to striking pre-tertiary teachers to return to the classroom, but the unions have maintained their decision to continue the indefinite industrial action.
GNAT Head of Salaries, Isaac Baah, said the union would not suspend the strike based on further promises, noting that similar assurances had already been given at an earlier meeting involving key stakeholders.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse, Mr Baah said GNAT met with the Education Minister and other stakeholders on August 31, resulting in specific commitments regarding the placement of promoted teachers on the appropriate salary scales.
Under the agreement, all promoted teachers were expected to be placed on their respective salary scales by the end of September 2026. It also provided for supplementary payrolls to be prepared for teachers who remained unpaid.
Mr Baah explained that the agreement stipulated an automatic placement process, meaning promoted teachers would not be required to submit payslips, forms or additional applications.
He said the commitments were formally agreed upon and signed at the meeting, which was also attended by representatives of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD).
Mr Baah questioned why teachers should rely on new assurances when the earlier agreement has yet to be fully implemented.
He also raised concerns about what he described as additional validation requirements for promoted teachers.
According to him, the Ghana Education Service (GES) already manages the promotion process and forwards a master list of successful candidates to CAGD for placement.
He argued that asking teachers to submit promotion letters and other documents again could create unnecessary delays.
Mr Baah reiterated that placement on the appropriate salary scale was supposed to be automatic once the promotion process had been completed and the master list submitted.
GNAT is therefore demanding the full implementation of the August 31 agreement before considering any decision to return to the classroom.
The union is among the teacher groups that commenced an indefinite strike on September 25 over outstanding concerns, including promotion-related arrears, delays in finalising a new Collective Agreement and the Deprived Area Allowance.
About The Author
