Why Ghana’s Informal Sector Must Support the Pre-Tertiary Teachers’ Strike

Ghana’s ongoing pre-tertiary teachers’ strike has understandably generated anxiety among parents, pupils, government officials and the general public. Schools have been disrupted, parents are worried about the education of their children, and the government is under pressure to resolve the dispute.

But beyond the immediate inconvenience lies a bigger national question: Should the Ghanaian informal sector support teachers in their demand for better conditions of service?

My answer is an emphatic yes.

The market woman, carpenter, mason, mechanic, tailor, farmer, food vendor, barber, hairdresser, spare-parts dealer, artisan and small-business operator may not see themselves as having a direct connection with a teacher's salary negotiations. But, in reality, they are among the people who stand to benefit significantly when Ghanaian public-sector workers receive decent and predictable incomes.

This is not only a teachers' struggle

The ongoing industrial action by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) followed unresolved concerns including promotion-related arrears, placement of promoted teachers on the appropriate salary levels, negotiations on a new collective agreement and the implementation of the 20 per cent Deprived Area Allowance.

The unions have maintained that they require concrete and verifiable implementation of outstanding commitments before returning to the classroom. Negotiations between the unions and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission have continued, although a meeting on October 6 ended inconclusively.

Whatever one's position on the strike itself, we must look beyond the classroom and understand the economic implications of paying workers fairly.

Teachers are consumers.

When a teacher receives a salary, that money does not disappear into a government vault. It enters the economy.

A teacher buys food from the market woman. The teacher pays a mason to construct a house. The teacher buys furniture from the carpenter. The teacher patronises the seamstress, barber, mechanic, mobile-money vendor, food seller, transport operator and provision-shop owner.

In other words, a teacher's salary becomes somebody else's income.

The informal sector is the biggest beneficiary of a stronger domestic economy

Ghana's informal sector is enormous. According to the Ghana Statistical Service, approximately eight out of every ten employed persons are engaged in informal activities. The sector is therefore the dominant source of employment in the country.

This has a very important implication.

If government improves the purchasing power of teachers and other public-sector workers, a significant portion of their additional income will eventually find its way into the informal economy.

Consider the market woman.

When teachers are paid well and receive their legitimate arrears, they are more capable of buying food and household necessities. The market woman sells more. Her turnover increases. She can restock her goods, pay school fees for her own children, improve her stall and employ an assistant.

Consider the carpenter.

A teacher who earns a decent income is more likely to commission a wardrobe, bed, dining set, kitchen cabinet or office furniture. That order becomes income for the carpenter, who then purchases timber, pays an apprentice and patronises another local business.

The same applies to the mason.

A teacher building a house creates employment for masons, labourers, electricians, plumbers, painters, tilers, welders and suppliers of building materials.

This is the economic multiplier effect.

Better teacher incomes can create stronger local economies

One mistake we often make in Ghana is to look at public-sector wages only as expenditure.

Yes, government must be fiscally responsible. Yes, public-sector compensation must be sustainable. But wages are also part of the circulation of money within the economy.

A teacher who is paid regularly is a more reliable consumer than a teacher whose salary or promotion arrears remain outstanding.

This distinction matters.

The informal economy survives largely on daily transactions. The market woman needs customers today. The food vendor needs customers tomorrow. The carpenter needs orders next week. The mechanic needs vehicles coming into his workshop.

Therefore, the financial welfare of formal-sector workers and the fortunes of informal-sector operators are closely connected.

The Ghanaian informal sector should consequently see the teachers' struggle not simply as "teachers demanding money", but as part of the broader national conversation about decent work, purchasing power and economic circulation.

But what about our children?

This is where the argument becomes difficult.

The most obvious negative consequence of the strike is its effect on pupils.

Children are missing classroom instruction. Parents who depend on schools for the education and supervision of their children are under pressure. Food vendors around schools lose customers. Learning schedules are disrupted, and prolonged closure can create learning gaps.

These consequences must not be dismissed.

A prolonged strike can particularly hurt children from poor households who may not have access to private schools, private tutors or other learning alternatives.

There is also the danger that prolonged disruption could affect examination preparation and the academic calendar.

Therefore, supporting teachers does not mean celebrating the disruption of education.

It means recognising that the immediate pain must be weighed against the longer-term objective of creating a more respected, motivated and economically secure teaching workforce.

The positives can outweigh the negatives — if the dispute is resolved quickly

The key word is quickly.

If the dispute is resolved through genuine negotiations and the government fulfils its commitments, Ghana can turn this difficult moment into an opportunity.

Better conditions of service can improve teacher morale.

Better teacher morale can contribute to better classroom performance.

Better classroom performance can contribute to better learning outcomes.

Better learning outcomes produce better-skilled young people.

And better-skilled young people eventually become the accountants, engineers, nurses, entrepreneurs, technicians, teachers, farmers, administrators and business owners who drive the Ghanaian economy.

In this sense, investment in teachers is an investment in every sector of the economy.

The carpenter's future customer may currently be sitting in a basic school classroom.

The next successful market woman may currently be learning mathematics.

The next engineer may currently be struggling to read.

The next entrepreneur may currently be learning Computing.

A future resident may currently be sitting at the back of a classroom.

Informal-sector workers should therefore speak up

The informal sector must not remain silent.

Market associations, artisan associations, transport unions, traders, small-business owners, farmers and other informal-sector groups should demand a peaceful and speedy resolution of the teachers' dispute.

Their message should not necessarily be: "Keep striking indefinitely."

Rather, it should be:

"Government and teachers must return to the negotiating table and reach a fair, sustainable and verifiable agreement as quickly as possible."

That is a reasonable position.

The informal sector should also recognise that today's teacher is tomorrow's potential customer.

If Ghana wants a vibrant domestic economy, we must create an environment where workers receive their legitimate earnings on time, businesses have customers with purchasing power, and public-sector workers are sufficiently motivated to provide quality services.

Beyond teachers: Ghana needs a culture of respecting labour

The current dispute should also stimulate a national conversation about how Ghana treats its workforce.

A country cannot sustainably develop while workers continuously have to threaten industrial action before legitimate employment concerns receive serious attention.

Government must be able to negotiate responsibly.

Trade unions must negotiate responsibly.

And both sides must recognise the national consequences of prolonged industrial action.

There must be stronger mechanisms for resolving labour disputes before they become nationwide strikes.

If agreements are signed, or premises are made in a party manifestos they should be implemented.

If government finances make implementation impossible, government must communicate honestly and negotiate realistic timelines.

And workers must also recognise that industrial action has consequences for the very citizens whose support they seek.

The informal sector should see the bigger picture

The Ghanaian informal sector is not an outsider in this debate.

It is the largest component of Ghana's labour market.

When teachers earn more, traders can sell more.

When teachers build houses, artisans work more.

When teachers buy furniture, carpenters earn more.

When teachers travel, transport operators earn more.

When teachers celebrate festivals, caterers and food vendors earn more.

When teachers pay school fees, businesses providing educational goods and services benefit.

This is how an economy works: one person's income becomes another person's revenue.

Therefore, the informal sector should understand that the welfare of teachers is partly connected to its own economic survival.

Conclusion

The current pre-tertiary teachers' strike is undoubtedly causing hardship, particularly for pupils and parents. That hardship is real and must be acknowledged.

But the solution should not be to demonise teachers or dismiss their legitimate concerns.

Ghana needs a negotiated settlement that protects the education of our children while also protecting the dignity and economic welfare of those who teach them.

The informal sector should support that objective.

Not because teachers are more important than market women.

Not because teachers are more important than carpenters, masons, farmers or mechanics.

But because we are all part of the same economic ecosystem.

A teacher who is fairly paid becomes a customer.

A customer supports a business.

A thriving business employs people.

Those employees become customers of other businesses.

And that cycle of income, consumption and production strengthens the national economy.

So, to Ghana's market women, carpenters, masons, mechanics, farmers, traders, artisans, food vendors and small-business owners:

Do not see the teachers' struggle as somebody else's problem. See it as part of the struggle for a stronger Ghanaian economy.

At the same time, let us demand that the dispute be resolved quickly, responsibly and peacefully so that our children can return to their classrooms.

Because Ghana needs both:

well-treated teachers and well-educated children.

And ultimately, the strength of both will determine the strength of the Ghana we want to build. By Mohammed Sham-Una

Concern Teacher (0240240643)

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