Ghana’s three teacher unions suspended their nationwide strike on 9 October 2026 after the government promised to pay promotion arrears to 51,000 teachers by 16 October.
Teachers are expected back in public school classrooms on Monday, 12 October, ending a walkout that began on 25 September and kept pupils at home for about two weeks.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) called off the action after talks involving the Council of State and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC). The unions insist the dispute is not settled.
“Negotiations have not ended or concluded,” GNAT General Secretary Thomas Musah said on Citi TV’s Eyewitness News, adding that the unions would keep negotiating until every issue was resolved.
Under the commitments reached, the first batch of promotion arrears goes to 51,000 teachers by 16 October, with remaining payments due by the end of the month. A digital support allowance is to be paid in November and the continuous professional development allowance in December. The 20 per cent deprived-area allowance for teachers in rural postings is due to start in January 2027, with details to be agreed by November or December.
The unions have asked for copies of the agreements to be lodged with the Council of State, a step aimed at holding the government to its timetable. Promises that were not kept triggered the strike in the first place.
The Ministry of Education welcomed the suspension in a statement, describing it as a step towards resolving the outstanding concerns through dialogue in the interest of teachers and learners.
The unions walked out after a 24 September deadline passed without a settlement. They accused duty bearers, particularly the FWSC, of long delays and broken promises, and said the grievances had stirred anger among their members. Their demands included placing teachers who passed promotion examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 on their correct salary scales, payment of arrears dating from January 2026, the deprived-area allowance and a new Collective Agreement.
That agreement expired in June 2026. GNAT says it submitted proposals for its renewal in August 2025, but talks with the FWSC had made little progress. A NAGRAT official in the Western Region said earlier this month that of almost 60,000 teachers who received promotion letters, only a little over 6,000 had been placed on the right salary scale.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson had urged the unions to return to class while talks continued. The unions refused, saying teachers wanted to see the money on their payslips rather than fresh assurances. Talks with the FWSC on 6 October ended without agreement, with the commission promising new grades for all promoted teachers on or before 30 October.
Negotiations on the new Collective Agreement are set to continue with the commission.
