Why wait for strike before engaging teachers on their concerns? – Kofi Asare quizzes FWSC
Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), Kofi Asare, has questioned the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) over its handling of negotiations with Ghana’s pre-tertiary teacher unions.
The three major pre-tertiary teacher unions; the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG); began a nationwide strike on September 25.
The unions have cited delays in negotiating a new collective agreement, failure to automatically place newly promoted teachers on the appropriate salary scales and the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance among their key grievances.
They said negotiations for a new collective agreement, which they expected to have been completed by June 2026, remained outstanding despite several engagements with the FWSC.
The unions are also demanding the placement of teachers who passed promotion examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 on the appropriate salary grades, with arrears dating back to January 2026.
Reacting to this in a social media post on Tuesday, October 6, the education advocate said the commission had enough time to engage the unions on their collective agreement before the teachers resorted to industrial action in September.
“So, the Fair Wages Commission, knowing that the teachers’ collective agreement was due to expire in June, why did you wait until a strike was declared in September before showing seriousness in negotiating?” he asked.
He further asked, “Why didn’t meaningful negotiations begin in January, especially after the Teacher Unions had approached Fair Wages late last year? Why must there always be the threat of industrial action before there is urgency at the negotiating table?”
Meanwhile, the FWSC met the striking teachers on today to continue negotiations on the collective agreement and conditions of service.
However, the meeting was reportedly inconclusive and has been postponed to Wednesday, October 7.