Government would later Sunday try once more to avert a nationwide strike by all teachers this week as it meets with the leadership of the teacher unions.

The unions comprising the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) have served notice they would withdraw their services from Tuesday unless government pays all their outstanding allowances and salary arrears.

At a meeting last week government agreed to release 1.5 million cedis to partly cover aspects of the allowances while a detail audit is conducted to facilitate full payment.

The teachers insisted they will not call off their planned strike.

Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Haruna Iddrisu is however optimistic today’s meeting will convince the unions to back down.

“The government team led by the fair wages and salaries commission, the office of the auditor general and the comptroller and accountant general and all the three teacher groups are meeting this weekend at the Mensvic Grand Hotel in order that we will avert the threat by the group of teachers who have pledged that by the end of this month if government was unable to meet their demands they will embark on a strike action.

“I am extremely optimistic that they will not consummate the threat and I believe from the reports that I have had that some process has been made and we will process whatever is cleared for purposes of payment,” he added.

He appealed to the teachers to maintain a healthy academic environment and “allow the school boys and girls to learn in an atmosphere that is free from the intimidation of a strike action.”