Three major teacher unions in Ghana have called on the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure that all newly promoted teachers are automatically placed on the appropriate grades and salary scales corresponding to their new ranks.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) made the call in a joint statement following a GES communication dated August 22, referenced GES/HR/QP/26/155.

According to the unions, the GES has assured newly promoted teachers that they will be placed automatically on their respective grades and salary levels.

They welcomed the assurance, describing it as consistent with the practice they say has been in place since 2020.

The unions maintain that teachers who are promoted to higher professional ranks should automatically receive the corresponding salary placement so that their remuneration reflects their new positions.

GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG said they commend the GES for reaffirming the automatic salary placement arrangement.

They stressed that the issue is important to newly promoted teachers because promotion should be reflected not only in their professional status but also in their position on the salary structure.

The unions' position is that the existing practice since 2020 should be maintained and applied consistently to all teachers affected by the latest promotions.

While welcoming the GES commitment, the three unions issued a strong warning against any attempt to change the existing arrangement without taking into account the concerns of teachers and their representative organisations.

They said any effort to vary the practice and impose a different arrangement on teachers, particularly without consultation with relevant stakeholders, would be "fiercely resisted".

The unions have urged the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to ensure that the promised placement is completed by the close of August 31.

The unions are therefore calling for prompt action to ensure that all newly promoted teachers are placed on the appropriate salary scales corresponding to their new ranks.

The joint statement was signed by Thomas T. Musah, General Secretary of GNAT; Jacob Anaba, President of NAGRAT; and King Ali Awudu, President of PRETAG.