The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has denied reports attributing comments to its Chief Executive, Dr George Smith-Graham, that teachers participating in the ongoing strike would have their salaries deducted for every day they remain away from work.
The Commission said Dr Smith-Graham did not make the comments attributed to him and urged the public and media to disregard the reports and any conclusions drawn from them.
According to the FWSC, the reported comments do not represent a statement made by the Chief Executive or a position taken by the Commission on the ongoing industrial action by the three pre-tertiary teacher unions.
The FWSC, in a statement, said, “The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission wishes to state that our Chief Executive did not make the comments attributed to him in the said media report.”
The Commission said its current engagement with the unions was focused on dialogue and negotiations aimed at addressing outstanding issues relating to their collective agreement and conditions of service.
The FWSC on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, engaged the leadership of the three pre-tertiary teacher unions as part of efforts to resolve the outstanding issues.
The meeting, chaired by Dr Smith-Graham, was attended by the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah; President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Jacob Anaba; President of the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), King Awudu Ali; and other union leaders.
The engagement provided an opportunity for the Commission and the union leadership to discuss the outstanding issues and demands raised by the unions.
Speaking after the meeting, Dr Smith-Graham said the engagement would be reconvened at a later date to allow the Commission to undertake further consultations on the demands presented by the unions and engage relevant stakeholders before negotiations resume.
He also commended the leadership of the unions for the peaceful manner in which the meeting was conducted.
The engagement forms part of the formal process initiated by the government to address the concerns of the three teacher unions following the commencement of their nationwide strike on Monday, September 28, 2026.
The FWSC’s involvement followed an emergency meeting convened by the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, with the leadership of the three teacher unions on September 28, following the commencement of the strike.
The Minister subsequently indicated that the FWSC would spearhead the next phase of formal negotiations on behalf of the government.
The FWSC reiterated its commitment to constructive engagement with the teacher unions and other stakeholders towards finding a mutually acceptable and sustainable resolution to the outstanding issues.
The Commission said it acknowledged the concerns raised by the unions and believed that continued dialogue and good-faith negotiations remained critical to resolving them.
It therefore urged the public, media and other stakeholders to rely on verified information from the Commission and other appropriate authorities regarding developments on the matter.
The FWSC said it remained committed to promoting fair, transparent and sustainable compensation arrangements while fostering harmonious industrial relations in Ghana’s public service.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
