‘What Else Do They Want Us to Discuss?’ – Teacher Unions Demand Arrears

Pre-tertiary teacher unions have warned the government against seeking additional time to address outstanding issues that triggered their nationwide strike, insisting that the focus must now shift from further discussions to the payment of arrears owed teachers.

The unions are expected to meet the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on Monday, September 28, at 10:30am to discuss their concerns over conditions of service and outstanding payments.

Among the key issues are unpaid salary arrears, deprived-area allowances and promotion arrears owed teachers who have advanced in rank.

Communications Director of the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), Kingsley Anyimadu, told Citi News that the unions have no new demands to present and are instead expecting government to honour its commitments and settle the outstanding payments.

“There are three major issues. Two of them are about payment, and we do not have any fresh issues to raise. All we are expecting and asking the government to do is to make the payments,” he said.

Mr Anyimadu said one of the outstanding issues is the Deprived Area Allowance, which has already been negotiated but remains unpaid despite assurances that teachers would receive the allowance by the end of September.

He also disclosed that about 80,000 teachers who have been promoted are still waiting for their promotion arrears.

According to him, the unions held engagements with the Minister of Education, the Controller and Accountant-General and the Minister of Finance in August and September, during which they were assured that the outstanding payments would be settled by the end of September.

However, with September having ended and salaries already paid without the arrears being cleared, Anyimadu said teachers would not accept another request for an extension.

“September has ended, salary has come, and it has not been paid. So what else do they want us to discuss? What else? Going to plead for more time,”

he said.

He warned that any attempt by the government to request more time could further frustrate teachers.

“If they do and they make any attempt to plead for more time, that will be dangerous because teachers will never ever understand. No way. We’ve gone beyond meetings. We are now at the point of payment,” he stressed.

The meeting follows the decision by the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and PRETAG to embark on an immediate nationwide strike over unresolved concerns, including unpaid promotion arrears and delays in negotiations on their conditions of service.