On September 9, the Teachers and Educational Workers' Union (TEWU) of TUC (Ghana) issued a statement announcing an imminent strike if the government refuses to meet their demands. After offering a ten-day window, their demands, outlined in a statement dated Tuesday, September 16, remain unmet, prompting their decision to embark on an indefinite strike effective today, Friday, September 19.

The statement issued by the Union charged all its members nationwide to stay away from their respective posts until further notice.

“The Teachers and Educational Workers' Union (TEWU) of TUC (Ghana) hereby formally declares an indefinite strike action effective Friday, 19th September 2025. All TEWU members across the country are directed to stay at home until further notice.

“This decision has become inevitable due to the Government and employer institutions' persistent failure to address long-standing concerns of non-teaching staff despite exhausting all laid-down legal and procedural requirements”, parts of the statement read.

They itemised their demands into seven points, including the immediate Signing of Conditions of Service for: TEWU of TUC (Ghana) and all Junior Staff of Public and Technical Universities, Non-Teaching Staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Staff of the Ghana Library Authority, Staff of Museums and Monuments Board, and Inclusion in the payment of GES Non-teaching Staff for Continuous Professional Development Allowance in September 2025.

TEWU OF TUC GHANA STRIKE DECLARATION LETTER 1Download

The others are: Resolution of Promotion Grievances in GES, including: Staff who passed interviews but remained unpaid on new scales. Staff placed on scales but denied official promotion letters. Staff who have received no communication after the interviews.

The Union warned its members against defying the strike by showing up at their respective posts, citing that “...it shall constitute an unfair labour practice should any employer prevent or intimidate any of our members, non-teaching staff of the GES, Public and Technical Universities, Ghana Library Authority, Ghana Museums and Monuments Board from exercising their lawful right to strike”.

Nearly a year ago, the Union embarked on a strike over non-implementation of agreed allowances, such as vehicle maintenance and off-campus, delays in Tier Two pension deductions, and general dissatisfaction with working conditions. In this regard, they announced an indefinite strike action on September 29, 2024.

In a statement dated September 5, and titled “Notice of industrial action due to delay in signing conditions of service”, the Union stated that after several follow-ups and engagement with relevant stakeholders for the finalisation of their conditions of service, nothing concrete has come out of it. This, they mentioned, has affected members. Following this, “We hereby notify the Management of these Institutions of our intention to commence action with effect from 19 September to compel the relevant authorities to expedite the signing of the Conditions of Service.

“Despite repeated engagements and persistent follow-ups, the delay in finalising and signing the Conditions of Service for these critical sectors remains unresolved. The prolonged inaction has severely impacted our members' welfare and morale. We have outlived our patience and can no longer contain the growing pressure from our rank and file. The continued postponement is unacceptable and leaves us with no alternative but to escalate the matter,” they clarified in the statement.

Members of TEWU who intend to partake in this strike include “...Technical and Public Universities, Ghana Library Authority, and Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB)”.

Anticipated impact of TEWU’s imminent strike action

The industrial action by the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) significantly disrupted academic operations across Ghanaian universities. Administrative and logistical functions such as registration, examination preparation, timetable coordination, and facility maintenance were delayed, pushing academic calendars off course.

A case in point is the rescheduling of examinations and practical lab sessions. The College of Basic and Applied Sciences had to postpone its lab sessions due to the absence of lab assistants. Administrative offices, including those handling student registration and exam coordination, were all involved in the strike, disrupting academic schedules among others. TEWU’s absence at their post was heavily felt, forcing the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to send a public appeal to the government to intervene and resolve the crisis.

In an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on September 27, 2024, UTAG National President Dr Mamudu Akudugu stated: “I would appeal to the government to at least find ways of resolving whatever the issues are so that our colleagues can be assured and then come back to continue their work.”

Meanwhile, about two months ago, the Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH) embarked on an indefinite strike, effective Thursday, July 3, following the expiry of a seven-day ultimatum issued to “relevant authorities” on June 24.

The group’s strike was in protest of what they describe as the “egregious and unjustifiable” recognition of a smaller union, TEWU-TUC, to officially represent workers on the Governing Councils of public universities, a decision that disregards TEWU-GH’s majority membership and legitimate claim to representation.

In a statement dated July 3, 2025, and signed by the National Chairman, Suleman Abdul-Rahman, TEWU-GH, the disgruntled union, expressed its discontent and dissatisfaction with the authorities’ failure to provide any satisfactory explanation or resolution after multiple concerns were expressed over TEWU-TUC’s representation.

The union cited that concerned authorities “blatantly disregarding democratic principles and the rights of the majority union” have forced them to take “drastic and immediate action” to uphold fairness, transparency, and democracy in tertiary education governance.

Consequently, TEWU-GH demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of TEWU-TUC’s appointment as workers’ representative on university governing councils.

The union also wanted the Ministers for Labour and Education to instruct the Chief Labour Officer to conduct a verification exercise, in line with Labour Regulations 2007 (L.I. 1833), to determine which union holds the majority membership among non-teaching staff in public universities. It further called for the establishment of a clear, credible, and democratic process for determining union representation on university governing councils. They argue this is essential to ensure that the voice of the majority is respected and reflected in governance structures.

TEWU-GH also called for the establishment of “a transparent, democratic, and verifiable process” to determine union representation across tertiary institutions, ensuring that governance structures reflect the voice of the majority.

Reaffirming its resolve, the union stated, “We remain committed to peaceful engagement with authorities but will not compromise on our demands or retreat in the face of adversity.”

TEWU-GH appealed to fellow labour unions, stakeholders, and all well-meaning Ghanaians to stand in solidarity, emphasising that “only through collective support can the rights and interests of tertiary education workers be protected, safeguarding industrial harmony across the Traditional Public Universities.”