Disgruntled teachers across the country who are members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have expressed outrage over what they describe as “unfair and exploitative” treatment from their union leaders.
The teachers’ anger was sparked by the recent distribution of pieces of cloth designed with the association’s logo, a gesture meant to appreciate members. However, many teachers say the material is of highly inferior quality and a clear indication that the union’s leadership does not value its members.
“We are very disappointed in our leaders and the kind of items they always give us,” one teacher told The Trial News. “They treat us as though they are better than us. The bags they gave us some time ago didn’t last even a year, yet during their own conferences, they use quality ones.”
The teacher, visibly unhappy, added that the union’s leadership appears to reserve the best items for themselves while offering substandard goods to the very members who sustain the association through dues.
Another teacher lamented that the association is always quick to introduce new levies, dues, and payments, yet fails to defend teachers when it matters most.
“They are fast to collect money from us, but when it comes to fighting for better working conditions, they are silent,” she said. “We feel neglected and cheated.”
The teachers also raised concerns about the malfunctioning laptops that were distributed under the government’s one-teacher-one-laptop policy, which GNAT helped facilitate. Many claim that the devices have long broken down, making it difficult for them to effectively deliver lessons under the new curriculum. Because everything about this new curriculum has to do with a laptop. With it, no teacher will be able to deliver effectively.
“Those laptops are now white elephants,” one teacher remarked. “We struggle to use our own money to buy new ones or use our phones to teach. It’s sad that our leaders, who were once teachers, have turned their backs on us. They now enjoy juicy and fatty allowances from our dues but refuse to fight for us.” What sort of leadership is this? He fumed.
The dissatisfied teachers are now calling on all GNAT members nationwide to reject the inferior cloth, return what has already been distributed, and demand a replacement with better-quality material.
They have also disclosed plans to petition their national leaders to register their grievances formally. However, they warned that if the leadership fails to address their concerns, they will “advise themselves accordingly.”
Citing the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, Article 21(e), which guarantees “freedom of association, including the freedom to form or join trade unions or not to join any union,” the teachers argue that membership in GNAT is not mandatory. “If they continue to treat us this way, we will walk away. One can be a teacher without belonging to any union,” another teacher emphasised.
Several teachers drew comparisons between GNAT and other professional unions, such as the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), and the Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG), which they say actively fight for improved salaries and conditions of service for their members.
“Look at how other unions bargain for better allowances and working conditions,” one teacher said. “But when it comes to teachers, our leaders only give us inferior items and call that appreciation. It’s unfair.”
The aggrieved teachers insist that their patience is wearing thin. Unless GNAT leadership takes immediate steps to address their concerns, they may soon face a mass withdrawal of membership — a move that could shake the foundation of one of Ghana’s largest and oldest teacher unions.
GNAT members are watching!
Ban
Oct 29, 2025 5:50 pmI said it. The leadership of these unions are self seeking and politicians in disguise. They use members of the unions to satisfy their personal interest. Only God can safe the poor teacher.