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4,500 Security Officers who are members of TEWU threaten to strike next week over unpaid allowances
A simmering labour dispute is reaching boiling point, as about 4,500 security personnel and watchmen under the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) prepare to take industrial action after what they describe as fourteen years of neglect.
The workers who guard schools, offices, and public education facilities across the country say they have gone more than a decade without receiving overtime pay for weekends and holidays. Now, their patience appears to have run out.
“We cannot continue like this,” said TEWU General Secretary, King James Azortibah, in an exclusive interview with Labour Affairs Correspondent Daniel Opoku in Accra. “Our members have been badly affected by the non-implementation of agreed conditions of service. These security officers work 12-hour shifts, including Sundays and holidays, yet they have been denied their rightful overtime for the past fourteen years.”
The looming action, expected to begin next week, signals a major escalation in tensions between the union and government authorities.
TEWU represents more than 36,000 workers nationwide, including janitors, laundry operators, administrative staff, and accounts officers in senior high schools.
But union leaders say it is the security personnel often overlooked despite their critical role who have borne the brunt of the delays.
“You will be surprised,” Azortibah added, “these officers provide security day and night across all senior high schools, regional and district offices, even at the headquarters. And yet, they are just about 4,500 men who have been left behind.”
According to the Union, repeated efforts to resolve the issue have been met with silence.
“We have petitioned the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, and the National Labour Commission,” he said. “We have exhausted all avenues.
That is why we have served notice that from next week, in solidarity with our security officers, we will begin a series of actions.”
Beyond the unpaid allowances, TEWU is also raising concerns about delays in implementing its broader collective agreement—warning that frustrations are spreading across its ranks.
With May Day approaching a time traditionally set aside to honour workers the Union says the government must act swiftly to avoid unrest.
“The Union expects nothing but a smooth implementation of the provisions of our conditions of service to promote industrial harmony,” Azortibah stressed. “Any attempt to frustrate our members will not be taken lightly.”
As of now, both the Ministry of Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission have yet to respond to the Union’s claims.
For thousands of workers who say they have waited fourteen years for what is rightfully theirs, next week could mark the beginning of a long-awaited fight for justice.
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