Public pre-tertiary teachers in the Greater Accra Region went back to class on Monday after three unions suspended a nationwide strike that had kept pupils out of lessons for about two weeks. The return comes with a deadline attached.
The unions called off the action on Friday, Oct. 9, following talks with the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, the Council of State and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission. Union leaders told members to report for work Monday while negotiations on the remaining grievances carry on.
Teachers walked out on Sept. 25 over unpaid allowances and promotion arrears. The strike was declared by the Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers and a third group, which some outlets identified as the Coalition of Concerned Teachers and others as the Pre-Tertiary Teachers’ Association of Ghana.
Scenes across Accra were routine, if a little hurried. Teachers were seen at work at Adenta Community School, while staff at the Teshie Laboma Cluster of Schools said they would try to make up for lost instructional time. At one school, teachers sat down for a morning meeting to plan the week, and a school official said he would work with them on schedules for extra classes.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu visited the Osu Presbyterian Cluster of Schools in Accra on Monday to watch the return unfold. He described the resumption as an important step toward restoring stability in schools and said the government is working to pay eligible teachers their outstanding promotion-related salary adjustments by Oct. 16.
That date is now the one to watch. The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department has also promised to pay the outstanding promotion allowances by Oct. 16, and says payroll issues tied to validation, promotions and upgrades will be handled according to due process.
Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum said considerable progress had been made on the issues that triggered the strike. Thomas Musah, general secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, directed members back to work so talks on the unresolved matters could continue. The Council of State urged both sides to keep up sustained dialogue.
The unions suspended the strike rather than ending it, and attention now shifts to whether the commitments hold. Beyond the promotion payments, teachers are still waiting on a resolution over the deprived-area allowance.
Pressure on the government is not confined to schools. The University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana has separately threatened a strike on Oct. 19 over an unpaid allowance.
