Single Spine Pay Policy review will help reduce labour unrest – Akufo-Addo

Single Spine Pay Policy under review

The review will address labour unrest

President Akufo-Addo said this at the 2022 May Day celebration

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said, he is hopeful that the report of the technical committee constituted to review the Single Spine Pay Policy will help to avert the many agitations on the labour front,

Read full articleespecially those involving public sector workers.

According to him, this review is expected to give the government answers on whether or not the policy is living up to expectations.

Delivering a message at the May Day ceremony on Sunday, May 1, President Akufo-Addo said:

“I am also happy to announce that following the National Labour Conference at Kwahu, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and its tripartite partners have set up, as of Tuesday, 26th April, a technical committee to review the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP), and advise Government accordingly.

"The goal is to find out whether the Single Spine Pay Policy is living up to expectations and if not, find a way forward. I hope that the report which is expected to be ready in July will help to put an end to most of the unrest we see on the labour front involving public sector workers.”

This year’s May Day celebration was held under the theme, “Protecting Jobs and Incomes in the era of Covid-19 and Beyond.”

There have been some labour unrest within the labour front in Ghana. Some of these labour groups stage strikes, demonstrations and other forms of protest to demand different benefits, often linked to their conditions of service.

The President’s comment on May Day is, however, timely as some government workers prior to the celebration embarked on strike actions over conditions of service.

The recent strike action is by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG).

They went on strike on Thursday, April 21 over the nonpayment of the neutrality allowance.

They argued that despite official reminders and follow-ups, payment of the Neutrality Allowance has not been effected as agreed.

The nine-member committee tasked to review the policy is made up of:

Dr. Alhassan lddrisu of the Ministry of Finance as chairman with Mr. Benjamin Arthur (the CEO of Fair Wages and Salaries Commission) and Ms. Gloria Bortele Noi representing Government; Mr. Kingsley Laar, Mr. Isaac Sackey and Ms. Dela Agbeli represent Employers and Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, Mr. Benjamin Kobina Osei and Mr. Daniel Amamoo representing Organised Labour as members.

The Committee has three (3) months to submit its report.

About Single Spine Pay Policy

The Single Spine Pay Policy was introduced by the Government of Ghana and implemented in 2010 to regulate the payment of public service workers, especially those under Article 190 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

They include public sector employees in the Civil Service, the Judicial Service, the Audit Service, the Ghana Education Service, the Ghana Health Service, the Parliamentary Service, the National Fire Service, Ghana Revenue Authority, the Local Government Service, the Police Service, and the Prisons Service, workers in non-profit public corporations, statutory public services excluding public services such as the Parliament.

The policy has, however, suffered some challenges.

In a review by Bossman E. Asare of the University of Ghana and Dennis Mpere, some of these challenges included a high public expectation, dissatisfaction with the grading structure by some workers and inadequate financial and human resources facing the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

Others are; inadequate education, conditions of service and allowances for workers.