The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has listed three major triggers for its current indefinite strike: an expired collective agreement, unpaid deprived-area allowances, and delays in promoting teachers who have completed promotional examinations.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba, speaking on Ekosiisen on Asempa FM, said the association declared the strike on September 25, 2025, after repeated engagements with the government failed to resolve the concerns.
“We have three concerns: our collective agreement, which expired since June; our deprived-area allowance that the government promised to pay; and the third is about promotional issues,” he said.
On promotions, Anaba said about 80,000 teachers who wrote promotional examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 were expecting to be placed on their appropriate salary scales, but that had not happened by July 2026.
“About 80,000 teachers who wrote exams in December 2025 and February 2026, which we were expecting would automatically place them on their right scale of payment, but since December last year up to July, we did not see anything like that,” he said.
He said the association had been in continuous discussions with the government before deciding to embark on the strike.
“We had been in constant conversations with the government, but to no avail; that is why we declared the strike. The strike is indefinite,” Anaba said.
He also linked the promotion concerns to what he described as a change in how smoothly promotions are handled under the current administration.
“Our promotions have been smooth until the NDC government returned to power,” he said.
Anaba said NAGRAT subsequently met with the Minister of Education and the Director-General of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department on October 2, leading to an engagement with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.
He said the latest meeting with Fair Wages ended without an agreement after the two sides presented different proposals.
“We were looking for a certain quantum of increment, but they made a certain proposal, which we disagreed with,” he said.
Anaba declined to disclose the details of the proposals, saying the association would share them after reaching an agreement.
“In this case, it is not a fair labour practice to disclose the details, so when we conclude, we will communicate them,” he said.
