Teacher Unions Threaten Nationwide Strike Over Delayed Promotion and Salary Adjustments

A coalition of major teacher unions in Ghana has warned of an impending nationwide strike involving over 300,000 teachers if the government fails to place newly promoted staff on their correct salary scales by Monday, August 31, 2026. The unions, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers’ Association of Ghana (PRETAG), have expressed deep frustration over administrative delays that have left more than 100,000 successful candidates from the 2025 promotional examinations on outdated pay grades. The coalition insists that if the deadline passes without action, they will be unable to restrain their members from withdrawing their services.

The core of the dispute centers on a directive from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) requiring teachers to submit additional documentation for salary upgrades. The unions claim this directive flatly contradicts earlier assurances from the Ghana Education Service (GES) that placement on new grades would be automatic following successful examinations. Thomas Musah, General Secretary of GNAT, has condemned the CAGD’s requirements as unlawful, asserting that the responsibility for any resulting industrial disruption would rest solely with the heads of the relevant government agencies for failing to honor previous agreements.

Beyond the salary placement hurdles, union leaders have raised serious concerns regarding a perceived lack of transparency from the Ghana Education Service. Jacob Anaba, President of PRETAG, criticized the GES for failing to release detailed statistical data or a comprehensive list of successful candidates, which he noted is a significant departure from the transparent practices of previous years. This lack of information has fueled suspicion among the teaching workforce and heightened tensions between the labor groups and educational authorities.

As the August 31 deadline approaches, the coalition is demanding that the implementation of the new salary scales be backdated to December 2025, rather than the July 2026 date currently suggested by the government. The unions are calling for immediate intervention to resolve these discrepancies and prevent a major disruption to the academic calendar. The resolution of this impasse is viewed as a critical test for labor relations under the current administration, with the potential to impact hundreds of thousands of educators and millions of students across the country.