The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) is scheduled to meet the leadership of the three striking teacher unions today, 6 October 2026, to negotiate their conditions of service, Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu has announced.
Speaking at the 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize ceremony, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education Iddrisu renewed his appeal to the unions to call off their ongoing strike and return to the classroom, assuring them that government remains committed to resolving their concerns and restoring normal teaching and learning nationwide.
Addressing teachers directly at the ceremony, Hon. Iddrisu framed his appeal around the significance of the occasion, urging teachers to reflect on their role in shaping the nation’s future even as the strike continues.
“May I renew my call to teachers that today is your day. As you celebrate your day today, be reminded that you’re the architects of your future. A strike action can disrupt that future. You must consider calling off the strike action and restoring normalcy.”
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education Iddrisu
Government Commitment from the Top
Mr Iddrisu said the government, led by President John Dramani Mahama and supported by Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, remains committed to resolving the concerns raised by the teacher unions.
He disclosed that the FWSC had been given the mandate by the Minister of Finance to engage the unions directly in search of an amicable resolution to the outstanding issues.
“The government of President John Dramani Mahama, with the support of Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, will seek to resolve your issues. I assure them that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has the full mandate of the Minister of Finance to engage with you to find an amicable way.”
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education Iddrisu
Beyond the scheduled FWSC engagement, Mr Iddrisu also addressed the long-outstanding Deprived Area Allowance, announcing that the 20 percent allowance would be paid once the validation process for eligible teachers has been completed.
This confirms that the allowance, one of the three core grievances driving the strike, remains contingent on the completion of an administrative verification process before disbursement can proceed.
Strike Rooted in Unresolved Arrears
Mr Iddrisu’s comments follow the nationwide strike declared by teachers over demands for the payment of outstanding arrears, particularly those relating to promotions and other conditions of service.
The payment of promotion arrears has remained a longstanding concern within Ghana’s pre-tertiary education sector, with teacher unions repeatedly calling on government to clear outstanding obligations owed to their members.
The latest assurance from the education minister comes after the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) jointly declared industrial action over these unresolved payments, a dispute that has kept teachers out of classrooms nationwide since late September.
Today’s scheduled FWSC meeting represents the latest in a series of engagements involving the Ministry of Education, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), the Ghana Education Service (GES), and the teacher unions, following earlier meetings, including one held on 31 August 2026, aimed at resolving the dispute over promotion placements and arrears.
With the FWSC now directly tasked with engaging the unions on conditions of service, including the long-delayed Collective Agreement negotiations, the meeting is expected to address one of the three central grievances that have driven the strike, alongside the promotion arrears and Deprived Area Allowance issues.
Balancing Appeal and Action
Mr Iddrisu’s remarks reflect a dual approach from government, combining a direct appeal to teachers’ professional identity and sense of purpose with concrete assurances of institutional action, specifically the FWSC’s mandated engagement and the validation-linked payment of the Deprived Area Allowance.
As the FWSC prepares to meet union leadership today, attention will focus on whether this engagement produces concrete commitments capable of persuading the unions to suspend their strike action.
With promotion arrears, the Deprived Area Allowance and the Collective Agreement renewal all still outstanding, the outcome of today’s meeting is likely to significantly influence the trajectory of the dispute in the days ahead.
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