GNAT Issues Government April 30 Ultimatum to Address Teachers' Grievances
Accra, Ghana - 04 April, 2025 - The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has given the government an ultimatum to address all unresolved issues affecting teachers in the country by April 30, 2025.
The issues include the non-implementation of a scheme of service for Ghana Education Service (GES) staff and the implementation of the Human Resource Management Information System, which has resulted in delays in salary payments and promotions for teachers.
The GNAT's demands are part of the directives given by the National Labour Commission (NLC) after a meeting with three teacher unions and their employers. The NLC had directed the GES to develop a scheme of service for its staff, but the GNAT claims that this directive has not been implemented.
In a letter dated March 28, 2025, signed by the General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah and addressed to the Minister of Education, GNAT expressed its frustration and disappointment with the government's failure to address these issues, which have created widespread disaffection and disillusionment among teachers.
The union warned that if these issues are not addressed, it could affect the industrial peace in the education sector.
The GNAT's ultimatum comes after a series of challenges faced by teachers, including delays in salary payments and promotions. As of December 2024, over 800 teachers were affected by these delays, with some experiencing delays of up to 12 months.
The GNAT has called on the government to take immediate action to address these issues and to ensure that the scheme of service is signed and implemented without fail by April 30, 2025.
“It would be recalled that the commission, having heard the disputes and having met the parties jointly and in separate (caucus) sessions, made some findings and thereby gave some directives, among which was that since the GES had no Scheme of Service for the GES Staff and to ensure that future appointments do not encounter such challenges, the GES must provide its staff with a Scheme of Service.
“After the submission of the feedback by the unions, the two parties worked together with the GES Consultant (Price WaterhouseCoopers) to complete the scheme of service, awaiting signing and subsequent implementation.
“We are, therefore, surprised, shocked and angry with the turn of events that yet again as we write this letter the same issue with appointments which led us to the NLC and subsequent directives by the NLC to correct it by developing and implementing a scheme of service for GES staff, have resurfaced.
“In the light of the above, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) hereby gives the MoE, Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment (MOLJE), Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and GES up to Wednesday, April 30, 2025, to address all the problems they have inflicted on teachers,” the statement read.
Source: Lead News Online
