Ghana’s three major teacher unions —Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and Coalition of Concerned Teachers-Ghana (CCT-GH)—have jointly issued a stern warning to the Ministry of Education and related agencies over what they describe as continued disregard for directives issued by the National Labour Commission (NLC) regarding the conditions of service for teachers.
In a strongly worded letter dated April 3, 2025, and addressed to the Minister for Education, the unions expressed frustration over the failure of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), and the Ministry of Education (MoE) to implement a Scheme of Service for GES staff—a critical directive issued by the NLC in March 2023.
The letter, signed by GNAT General Secretary Thomas T. Musah, NAGRAT President Eric Agbe-Carbonu, and CCT-GH President King Ali Awudu, recalled the 2022 nationwide strike action declared by the unions. Among the issues then raised were the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah as GES Director-General (despite not being a professional teacher) and the need to decouple the ranks of Director II and I from political district and regional alignments to ensure fair promotion opportunities.
Following that industrial action, the NLC convened a meeting on March 26, 2023, involving the unions and state stakeholders. One of the key outcomes was the directive for GES to develop a Scheme of Service for its staff. Although GES submitted a draft to the unions in April 2024 and received feedback by July 15, 2024, the completed document has yet to be signed and implemented.
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Now, the unions warn that the very issues which led to the earlier dispute are resurfacing, with no action taken to resolve them—an act they describe as “bad faith” and “unfair labour practice.”
“We are disappointed, disillusioned and angry, and would neither allow this situation to fester, nor continue,” the unions declared.
They have issued a clear ultimatum: the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, and GES must ensure the signing and implementation of the Scheme of Service by 30th April 2025, or risk serious industrial consequences.
The unions also copied the letter to key stakeholders, including the Minister of Employment, the Director-General of GES, and the CEO of FWSC.
With tensions rising once more on the educational front, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether dialogue and action will prevail—or whether Ghana’s classrooms will once again be disrupted by strike action.
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