Striking teacher unions in Ghana have told the Education Minister they want their outstanding payments settled instead of holding more discussions, according to Modern Ghana. The unions made the demand as their industrial action continued, with the outlet reporting the message as a direct call for money owed rather than another round of talks.
The Education Minister has urged the striking teachers to go back to their classrooms, MyJoyOnline reported. In a related development, the minister ordered schools to reopen as the unions responded to his position, according to The Libya Observer. GhanaWeb reported that GNAT, one of the unions involved, called on the government to do what is needed to resolve the standoff.
Payment processing has emerged as a central issue. Asaase Radio reported that the Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD) said 6,079 promoted teachers have been paid, while 52,541 cases are still waiting to be processed. That figure points to a large backlog of promotions whose financial effect has not yet reached the affected staff.
The dispute therefore turns on how quickly the remaining cases can be cleared and whether the unions will treat progress on payments as enough to end the strike. The unions have framed their position around payment, not meetings, while the ministry has framed it around a return to teaching.
What to watch next: whether the CAGD clears more of the pending promotion cases, and whether the unions soften their stance once payments begin to show up.
