The Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has attributed the ongoing nationwide strike by pre-tertiary teachers partly to what he describes as inadequate communication and engagement between government and organised labour.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Morning Show in Accra-Tema on Thursday, October 1, 2026, Mr Koomson said the industrial action could have been prevented, or its impact reduced, if government had maintained regular communication with teacher union leaders.
He said effective communication was particularly important whenever government faced financial or administrative difficulties that could affect the implementation of agreements reached with workers.
According to Mr Koomson, government should not wait until workers have embarked on industrial action before engaging their leadership to resolve outstanding concerns.
He said his experience with successive governments had shown that maintaining open communication channels with organised labour could help prevent misunderstandings and build trust between the two sides.
Recalling the administration of former President Jerry John Rawlings, Mr Koomson said communication arrangements were established to ensure that information about government policies and challenges reached labour leaders, who could then explain the issues to their members.
He said although workers might still disagree with government decisions, timely information could help them understand the circumstances surrounding those decisions and make informed choices about how to respond.
Mr Koomson warned that keeping union leaders in the dark could create mistrust between union executives and their members, particularly when leaders were unable to provide clear explanations about negotiations with government.
“When you leave them in the dark, it creates problems,” he said, stressing that union leaders required timely and accurate information to communicate effectively with workers.
He also called for stronger engagement between the ministry responsible for employment and organised labour, arguing that labour relations required continuous attention and should not be addressed only when disputes had already escalated.
Mr Koomson suggested that effective leadership at the Employment Ministry, including adequate support for the substantive minister, could help ensure that labour issues received continuous attention even when the minister was occupied with other government responsibilities.
The comments come amid an ongoing nationwide strike by GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG, which began on September 25, 2026. The unions are demanding action on promotion-related arrears, placement of promoted teachers on appropriate salary scales, the implementation of the deprived-area allowance and negotiations towards a new collective agreement.
Government has been engaging the teacher unions in an effort to resolve the dispute, while the unions have maintained that concrete progress is required before they return to the classroom.
Mr Koomson urged government to strengthen its relationship with organised labour and ensure that union leaders were adequately involved in discussions affecting their members.
He said sustained communication, transparency and regular engagement could help build trust, manage expectations and reduce the likelihood of disagreements developing into prolonged industrial disputes.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah
