By: Joyce Owusu
August 31, 2026
A planned strike by Ghana’s teacher unions has been averted after the government opened talks over delays in placing newly promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales. The Coalition of Teacher Unions suspended the industrial action after meeting the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on Monday, August 31, 2026, following a threat to withdraw their services if the outstanding concerns were not resolved by the end of the day.
The unions had raised alarm over the continued delay in implementing the promotions of affected teachers, arguing that the situation was denying them the financial benefits associated with their new ranks. At the centre of the dispute is the failure to effect the corresponding salary placements after teachers received their promotions. The unions had expected the automatic promotion system to be implemented by August, based on an earlier assurance from the Ghana Education Service (GES). However, the process was delayed after the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department requested additional lists and supporting documentation before the promotions could be captured for payment.
The additional requirements became a major source of frustration for the unions, which maintained that the development was inconsistent with the earlier arrangement for automatic promotion. With the August deadline approaching its end, the unions issued a strong warning that they would resort to industrial action if the government failed to address the matter by Monday. Such an action would have had the potential to disrupt teaching and learning in schools as teachers demanded the implementation of promotions and payment of the corresponding financial benefits.
However, Monday’s meeting with the Education Minister eased the immediate tension, with the unions agreeing to suspend the strike and allow further discussions to continue.The decision keeps teachers at work while giving the government and the unions additional room to resolve the administrative and payroll challenges holding back the salary adjustments. The suspension, however, does not mean the underlying dispute has been permanently resolved. The outstanding issue remains the placement of newly promoted teachers on the appropriate salary scales and the payment of the financial benefits attached to their promotions.
Further engagement between the Ministry of Education, the GES, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department and the teacher unions is therefore expected as efforts continue to clear the backlog. For now, the suspension of the planned strike averts an immediate disruption to education, but pressure remains on the government to translate the assurances from the engagement into actual salary placements for the affected teachers. The unions’ latest decision effectively gives the government more time to resolve the matter while keeping the possibility of renewed industrial action in the background should progress on the outstanding salary concerns stall.
