The leadership of three major pre-tertiary teacher unions — the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) — has given the government a one-week ultimatum to conclude negotiations on their expired conditions of service, warning that failure to address outstanding issues could trigger industrial action.
The unions said negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) on Thursday, July 16, ended without a concrete resolution after the commission indicated it needed a fresh mandate from the government to continue discussions.
Speaking on Accra-based Channel One Newsroom, Vice President of PRETAG, Adokwei Ayikwei Awulley, expressed frustration over the delay, noting that their conditions of service expired almost two years ago.
“As we speak, the condition of service has expired. We last signed it in July 2024, and so as we speak, two years have elapsed, and there’s a need for us to have even negotiated on a new condition of service,” he said.
Mr Awulley explained that the unions’ concerns extend beyond negotiating a new agreement, highlighting several outstanding issues contained in previous conditions of service that have not been implemented.
Among the unresolved matters are the promotion of deputy directors to Director II and Director II to Director I without portfolios, as well as the payment of incentives for teachers working in difficult and hard-to-reach areas.
He also expressed disappointment that a directive issued by President John Dramani Mahama regarding the promotion issue has not been implemented.
“His Excellency President John Mahama issued a directive that it should be implemented. Until now, it has not been done, and it is also part of the condition of service,” he said.
Mr Awulley warned that the unions will give the government until the end of next week to take concrete steps, after which they will decide on their next course of action.
“We are giving them up to the end of the coming week. Then if we don’t see anything concrete, we will advise ourselves. We’ll use all possible means at our disposal to ensure that we get what we are supposed to get,” he stated.
The three unions maintain that the outstanding issues have already been negotiated and incorporated into their conditions of service but have remained unresolved for several years.
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