A crunch meeting between the government and the pre-tertiary teacher unions on Friday, October 2, ended in a stalemate as the union strike entered day eight.

Pre-tertiary unions include the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG).

These three unions jointly declared a nationwide strike on 25 September 2026 over unpaid promotion arrears and salary adjustments for promoted teachers, delays in negotiating a new collective agreement/conditions of service and non-implementation of the 20% deprived-area allowance.

Given the impact of the strike on students and the academic calendar, the government has engaged them to find a resolution to the strike; however, according to the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah, the government has tabled proposals to address their concerns, which the unions will study before making any decision.

“The issues we tabled were discussed, but we couldn’t conclude on them. New proposals have been given to the unions to look at, and we will get back to them next week, Monday, October 5, and then we will take it from there.

“The engagement ended inconclusively. They have made some proposals; the unions will look at them and get back to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has assured the unions that the government will not renege on its promises and will work to address their concerns based on the proposals.

“We are hopeful that by next week, the restoration of normal academic work will be done. But negotiations are inconclusive. We’ll honour our commitment to the new grades for all promoted teachers on or before October 30.

“The Controller General will, on Monday, validate data for up to 51,000 persons. A supplementary payment schedule will be provided for that category. We will not renege on our pledge as government,” he said.

Per reports, the unions embarked on the strike following several ultimatums issued by the government, negotiations, threats of industrial action, and disputes earlier in the year until September 25 action.