Teachers suspend strike; members to resume work on Monday

The agreement is expected to pave the way for the payment of the 20 per cent deprived-area allowance and outstanding promotion-related arrears owed to affected teachers.

GNAT General Secretary, Thomas Tanko Musah at a press conference on Friday, October 9 said the decision followed assurances from the government side that commitments made to the teachers would be fulfilled.

Speaking after the engagements with the Ministry of Employment, the Council of State and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on Friday, he said the union will continue to negotiate for their demands.

“After engaging in a series of meetings with the Ministry of Employment and the Council of State on issues concerning teachers, and having been given some assurances from their end to ensure that all the things we signed to will be done, we want to announce to you that we suspend the strike today,” he said.

Musah directed all teachers to return to the classroom on Monday, October 12 as negotiations continue on the outstanding issues.

“We are by this asking all teachers to go to work effective Monday as we continue with negotiations regarding the outstanding issues,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer of the FWSC, Dr Smith Graham, said the government was ready to pay the 20 per cent deprived-area allowance as part of efforts to resolve the dispute.

He also announced that more than 50,000 teachers whose promotion data had been validated would receive their promotion-related payments on September 16, 2026.

Dr Graham said the commitments made during the negotiations formed part of efforts to address the concerns raised by the teachers and bring the industrial action to an end.

The assurances provided by the government and the outcome of the discussions subsequently paved the way for the teachers to call off the strike.

Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Davis, welcomed the decision, expressing satisfaction that the dispute had been resolved through dialogue.

He said the resolution was a positive development, as it would allow teaching and learning to resume without further disruption.

The end of the strike is expected to bring relief to thousands of pupils and parents who have been affected by the industrial action, particularly those whose academic activities have been interrupted.

Earlier, the Council of State and the Ministry of Labour had expressed confidence that the outstanding issues could be resolved through engagement between the parties.

With the strike now suspended, attention is expected to shift to the implementation of the commitments reached during the negotiations, particularly the payment of the deprived-area allowance and promotion-related arrears.

The effective implementation of the agreement will be crucial to sustaining industrial harmony and preventing further disruptions to teaching and learning.