The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has rejected fresh assurances from the government over the concerns that triggered the ongoing teachers’ strike, insisting that the August 31 agreement must first be implemented.

The Ministry of Education has renewed its appeal to striking pre-tertiary teachers to return to the classroom, despite the unions’ refusal to call off their indefinite industrial action.

GNAT Head of Salaries, Isaac Baah, said the union is unwilling to call off the strike based on another round of promises, arguing that similar commitments were made during an earlier meeting involving the relevant stakeholders.

“We have not changed our stand. Because we have heard this one before,” he said on JoyNews’ The Pulse.

According to Mr Baah, GNAT met the Education Minister and other stakeholders on August 31, where specific commitments were reached on the placement of promoted teachers on the salary scale.

He said the agreement stated that all promoted teachers would be placed on their respective salary scales by the end of September 2026, with supplementary payrolls to be raised for any affected teachers who remained unpaid.

The agreement also provided that placement would be done automatically, meaning promoted teachers would not be required to submit payslips, forms or applications.

Mr Baah said the commitments were agreed to and signed at the meeting, which also had the Controller and Accountant-General present.

He questioned why teachers should accept fresh assurances when the earlier agreement is yet to be fully implemented.

“We are saying that we have an agreement that was signed on August 31. Why should we believe you again?” he asked.

He further criticised what he described as additional validation requirements being introduced for promoted teachers.

According to him, the Ghana Education Service (GES) already conducts the promotion process and submits a master list of successful candidates to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) for placement.

He argued that requiring teachers to submit their promotion letters or other documents again creates unnecessary delays.

“Placement on scale shall be done automatically,” he stressed, insisting that the process should be seamless once the promotion exercise has been completed and the master list submitted.

GNAT is therefore demanding concrete implementation of the August 31 commitments, rather than further assurances, before considering a return to the classroom.

The union is among the teacher groups that began an indefinite strike on September 25 over outstanding concerns including promotion-related arrears, delays in concluding a new Collective Agreement and the Deprived Area Allowance.