By Michael Foli Jackidy
Ho (V/R), Oct. 2, GNA – The Volta Regional Teacher Unions, comprising the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), have reaffirmed their support for the nationwide industrial action declared by the three unions effective Friday, September 25, 2026.
The unions said the decision to embark on the industrial action followed prolonged delays, unfulfilled commitments and failure to resolve critical issues affecting the welfare and conditions of service of teachers.
Mr Felix Owusu-Ansah, the General Secretary of the GNAT, who presented the position of the unions at a press conference in Ho, said the concerns included delays in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, promotion placements and payment of arrears, as well as the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance.
On the Collective Agreement, the unions said the existing agreement had expired, while negotiations for a new one, which was expected to have been concluded by June 2026, remained outstanding despite engagements with relevant stakeholders, including the Government and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
They called for the immediate conclusion and implementation of the new Collective Agreement to provide certainty and improved conditions of service for teachers.
On promotion placements, the unions said teachers who successfully passed promotion examinations conducted in December 2025 and February 2026 were yet to be placed on their appropriate salary grades, together with the payment of applicable arrears effective January 2026.
They said the continued delay had created frustration among affected teachers and called for the immediate processing of all outstanding promotion placements and payment of the corresponding arrears.
The unions also raised concerns about the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance for teachers serving in deprived and hard-to-reach communities.
They said Section 17.2 of the existing Collective Agreement provided a 20 per cent allowance for teachers serving in deprived or difficult areas.
“Teachers who accept postings and continue to serve in difficult environments deserve the incentives provided for under the relevant agreements,” the unions said, calling for the immediate implementation of the allowance and a clear, time-bound roadmap for its payment.
The Regional Teacher Unions consequently directed all teachers in the Volta Region to fully comply with the national industrial action and remain out of the classroom until the national unions communicated otherwise.
They also directed all District and Local Union Executives to mobilise members, sensitise teachers and ensure strict compliance with the strike directive.
Mr Solomon Kwame Takyi, the Regional Chairman of the PRETAG, said teachers had endured prolonged delays in the promotion process, resulting in financial losses to affected members.
He said teachers who were expected to have written their promotion examinations in 2024 eventually wrote them in 2025, resulting in what he described as a significant delay in their progression.
“Eighteen good months of the teacher’s salary have been traded off to make way for the Reset Agenda. So, what we have gotten to is something beyond our reach,” he said.
Mr Takyi said teachers had a responsibility to educate the nation’s children but also needed adequate welfare and remuneration to effectively perform their duties.
“We live to teach. That’s not the case. We eat to teach. And so, we are hungry,” he said, adding that teachers were no longer prepared to accept the notion that their rewards were only in heaven.
The unions, however, said they remained committed to constructive engagement and meaningful dialogue, stressing that such dialogue must lead to concrete action and resolution of the outstanding concerns.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah