The Volta Regional leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) has thrown their full support behind the nationwide industrial action declared by the three teacher unions.

The strike, which took effect on Friday, September 25, 2026, follows what the unions describe as prolonged delays, unfulfilled commitments and the failure of relevant authorities to resolve outstanding issues affecting teachers’ conditions of service. 

At a press conference in the Volta Region, the unions demanded the immediate resolution of three major concerns: the delay in negotiating a new collective agreement, automatic placement and payment of arrears for promoted teachers, and the implementation of the deprived area allowance.

Speaking on behalf of the regional unions, Regional Secretary of GNAT, Felix Owusu Ansah, said the existing collective agreement had expired while negotiations for a new agreement which were expected to have been concluded by June 2026 remains outstanding despite several engagements with the government and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

He called for the immediate conclusion and implementation of the new agreement to provide certainty and improve the teachers’ condition.

“We therefore call on government to immediately conclude  the implementation of the new agreement to provide certainty and improve the conditions of service of teachers.”

On promotion-related issues, the unions said teachers who successfully passed promotion examinations conducted in December 2025 and February 2026 were expected to be automatically placed on the appropriate salary scales with corresponding arrears effective January 2026.

They said the continued delay in implementing the arrangement has caused frustrations among affected teachers, therefore demanding an immediate processing of all outstanding promotion placements and payment of the associated arrears. 

The national unions have similarly cited the placement of promoted teachers and payment of arrears as one of the central issues behind the industrial action. 

The Volta unions also renewed their demand for the implementation of the 20 percent Deprived Area Allowance for teachers serving in deprived and hard-to-reach communities.

“We demand for the implementation of the 20 per cent Deprived Area Allowance for teachers serving in deprived and hard-to-reach communities".

According to them, Section 17(2) of the existing Collective Agreement provides for the allowance, and teachers who accept postings to difficult environments should receive the incentives provided under the agreement.

The unions consequently called for the immediate implementation of the allowance and a clear, time-bound roadmap for its payment.

Regional Chairman of PRETAG, Solomon Kwame Yerenkyi, also expressed concerns about the prolonged delay in addressing the teachers’ concern, particularly promotion-related issues.

He said teachers who were expected to have undertaken their promotion examinations earlier have also suffered significant delays, resulting in what he described as a substantial loss of salary benefits.

“Those who wrote their exam in 2025 were supposed to write the exam in 2024,” he said, adding that the delays have placed teachers under intense financial pressure.

He stressed that teachers remain committed to educating the nation's children but need their legitimate concerns about their welfare and remuneration addressed.

For his part, Regional Chairman of NAGRAT, William Kwame Ahiave, said teachers have reached a point where they have withdrawn their services until the government resolves their concerns.

“We are putting down our tools. Until government heeds our pleas, we are not going back to the classroom,” he asserted.

The Volta Regional teacher unions directed all teachers in the Volta Region to comply fully with the strike until further communication from the national leadership.

The strike has already affected teaching and learning in some public pre-tertiary schools while the Education Ministry engages the unions, the FWSC and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department in an effort to resolve the dispute.