Three teacher unions have issued a one week ultimatum to the government to address outstanding conditions of service, warning that they will consider their next line of action if no concrete measures are taken within the period. The unions said key provisions negotiated over several years remain unimplemented despite repeated engagements with government officials.
The ultimatum follows months of discussions over teacher welfare, promotions and incentives for educators serving in difficult locations. The unions argued that unresolved issues have continued to affect morale across the pre tertiary education sector.
The Vice President of the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association, Adokwei Ayikwei-Awuley has stated that the current conditions of service expired in July 2026 after the agreement signed in 2024 reached the end of its two year lifespan. Mr Ayikwei-Awuley explained that negotiations for a new agreement should already have commenced, although longstanding issues from previous agreements remain unresolved.
According to the Vice President, two major provisions have repeatedly appeared in successive conditions of service dating back to 2009 without implementation. He indicated that the first concerns the promotion of Deputy Directors to Director II and Director II officers to Director I without waiting for vacancies within the administrative structure.
Mr Ayikwei Awuley explained that many teachers remain at the Deputy Director level for more than a decade because advancement depends on available vacancies instead of career progression. He argued that the arrangement has created stagnation for experienced educators who have fulfilled every professional requirement for promotion.
Furthermore, the Vice President stated that governments over the years have also pledged to introduce a 20 percent incentive for teachers serving in hard to reach communities. He noted that the incentive has remained part of the conditions of service for years without implementation.
“The condition of service has expired and these issues have remained there since 2009. The President directed that they should be implemented, yet nothing has happened. Teachers cannot continue waiting indefinitely for agreements that have already been negotiated.”
Mr Adokwei Ayikwei-Awuley
Additionally, Mr Ayikwei Awuley recalled that President John Dramani Mahama, before assuming office, assured teacher unions that the outstanding provisions would be implemented. He added that the President later issued a directive for the promotion policy to take effect, although the instruction has yet to produce results.
From his perspective, the delay has created frustration among teachers who expected government agencies to honour negotiated agreements. The Vice President argued that implementing existing commitments would strengthen confidence ahead of negotiations for a new conditions of service agreement.
Government Urged To Honour Teacher Agreements Before New Talks Begin
The Vice President of the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association, Adokwei-Ayikwei Awuley, also indicated that teachers have exhausted every available avenue for dialogue and now expect concrete action from government. According to Mr Ayikwei Awuley, the latest ultimatum seeks to secure commitments that have remained outstanding despite official assurances.
Addressing the negotiations, the Vice President stated that the unions has consistently engaged the Ministry of Education and other relevant institutions over the unresolved matters. He explained that discussions had yielded repeated promises without corresponding implementation on the ground.
Furthermore, Mr Ayikwei Awuley pointed to a presidential directive on the promotion of Deputy Directors as one of the unresolved issues that continues to frustrate members. He argued that the directive should already have taken effect because the implementation process had been completed more than a year ago.
“We have given them up to the end of the coming week. If nothing concrete comes out of this, we will advise ourselves and use every legitimate means available to secure what has already been negotiated.”
Mr Adokwei Ayikwei-Awuley
From his perspective, the explanation that government lacks the financial resources to implement the agreements does not justify the delays. The Vice President explained that the commitments are part of an existing agreement and therefore should have been factored into the national budget.
Additionally, he disclosed that union representatives have participated in committees established to facilitate implementation of the policy. That experience, he said, convinced the unions that the necessary administrative work has already been completed long before the current discussions.
Mr Ayikwei-Awuley also referenced recent promises made by the Education minister, who reiterated government’s intention to introduce the twenty percent incentive package for teachers serving in hard to reach communities. The Vice President said the unions now expect those assurances to translate into measurable action.
An important dimension of the dispute, he explained, is that teachers are demanding implementation of already negotiated benefits instead of seeking entirely new entitlements. The focus, he added, is to ensure that government honours commitments already captured in the conditions of service. The unions indicated that they would assess government’s response after the deadline expires before determining their next course of action.
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