TEWU Declares Indefinite Nationwide Strike Over Unresolved Conditions of Service
TEWU Declares Indefinite Nationwide Strike Over Unresolved Conditions of Service
Accra, September 18, 2025 – The Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Ghana has announced an indefinite nationwide strike starting Friday, September 19, 2025, blaming the government and employer institutions for failing to resolve long-standing grievances of non-teaching staff despite repeated negotiations.
In a statement signed by General Secretary King James Azortibah, TEWU said it has exhausted all legal and procedural avenues under the Labour Act, including serving notice on September 8, but received no meaningful response. The union holds the government and agencies like the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) responsible for the breakdown in industrial peace.
The strike will impact non-teaching staff across public and technical universities, the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ghana Library Authority, and Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, disrupting administrative, security, library, and support services in schools, universities, and cultural sites nationwide.
Key Demands
TEWU outlined several urgent requests:
Immediate Signing of Conditions of Service: For TEWU members, junior staff in public and technical universities, GES non-teaching staff, Ghana Library Authority employees, and Museums and Monuments Board staff.
Inclusion in Allowances: GES non-teaching staff must receive the Continuous Professional Development Allowance scheduled for September 2025.
Promotion Grievances: Swift resolution of pending promotion issues in GES.
FWSC Accountability: The commission must finalize and sign all outstanding agreements without further delays to ensure equity.
“We have exercised patience and restraint… The responsibility for the disruption of industrial peace in the education sector rests squarely with Government and its agencies,” the statement read. TEWU warned against any intimidation or obstruction of the strike, calling it an unfair labor practice, and copied the declaration to the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour, GES, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, and National Labour Commission.
The action follows earlier threats in November 2024 and a separate KNUST-specific strike in April 2025 over union representation, highlighting ongoing tensions in the sector. TEWU urged employers to respect workers’ rights and called for urgent dialogue to avert prolonged disruptions.
