Address salary disparities - TUC tasks Government

The Trades Union Congress (Ghana), has charged Government to, as a matter of urgency address the salary disparities in the public sector to ensure a peaceful labour front.

The call follows agitation over the four and seven percent rise in the base pay of public service workers for the years 2020 and 2021 respectively and recent industrial actions by some labour unions.

Workers also expressed worry over the delay in payment of social security contributions, which TUC said was regrettable that successful Governments had been guilty with delays in its payment.

The National Labour Commission recorded over 6,000 cases from 2011-2020 out of which 50 percent were resolved.

Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, Secretary-General of TUC, bemoaned the disparity, which saw public sector workers received four and seven per cent pay rise, while management and staff of some public sector institutions had more than 20 per cent pay increases in their basic salaries.

Speaking at the 2022 National Labour Conference in the Eastern Region on Monday, he said the situation ought to change for the reward system in the public sector to be fair.

He said: “We must work together to change this situation. It is organised labour’s expectations that social partners at this conference will agree on the road map for dealing with these issues.”

“That is the only way we can ensure a peaceful labour relations environment to rebuild our economy, create decent jobs and improve the living standards of the good people of Ghana.”

The Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) was implemented in 2010 to regulate the payment of public service workers, especially those under article 190 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana to address the issue of inequality in public sector pay.

However, after more than a decade of its implementation, the policy had been experiencing growing inequality concern across public sector workers, making the labour unions often resort to strikes and demonstrations to call for changes.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still around, the TUC Secretary-General urged the Government to use its executive powers and policies to protect the few decent jobs in the country and not allow companies to declare mass redundancy.

Meanwhile, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the event called for a stable labour front, nothing that: “It is only fair and appropriate that we accommodate divergent views in the policy making process.”

He underscored that such a conducive labour front would enable the Government to implement its policies and programmes, attract increased investment, and create jobs to improve the standards of living for the people and build a robust economy for sustainable development.

The President pledged his commitment to improving the condition of workers, and said the Government had no intention of abandoning tripartism and social dialogue in the implementation of its policies.

He said the social and economic devastation occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, required active involvement and participation of all, including the larger informal economy for the transformation of the fiscal space of the country.

The conference will provide a unique opportunity for the various actors to exchange views and ideas on the thematic areas and emerging issues in a changing world of work to promote a positive and proactive approach to resolving labour issues for national development.

A technical presentation will be made by the Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, on, “The State of the Economy,” for discussions to proceed on the concerns of workers and employers in the public sector in relation to economic realities.