Implementation Single Spine ‘unwise’ - Franklin Cudjoe

Migration of public sector workers onto the Single Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) was very “unwise” on the part of past managers of the economy, Executive Director of IMANI Ghana Franklin Cudjoe has stated.

The founding president of the policy think tank believes the managers of the economy at that time of the implementation took a decision that was very wrong.

“We decided to introduce Single Spine which was economically unwise. Single Spine was smoke and mirrors because clearly it was as if you were redefining the laws of economics,” Mr Cudjoe told Class FM’s Roderick Nii-Lante Wellington on ‘Closing Bell’ Wednesday May 4.

The Single Spine Salary Structure was drawn up by the erstwhile John Agyekum Kufuor administration to address differences in salaries for public sector workers based on their qualifications.

But using an hypothetical situation to expose the shortcomings of the parameter used, Mr Cudjoe explained that: “Assuming you and I had the same degree but you are a much better presenter. You do your research well, you have a good production team, and you ask excellent questions and I am probably here just pushing papers. There is no way under this planet Earth should you and I receive the same salary; you should be paid better that me.”

According to him, the same principle should be applied in the public sector “where an accountant in the Parks and Gardens which has barely no flowers to show for, should not be taking the same salary as an accountant in the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB)”.

To him, the fact that the two could be on the same scale does not make their work equal.

He held the opinion that the policy was implemented overnight without a proper evaluation of the economy and its impact on the wage bill as salaries got increased by huge margins within a short period of time.

He said the implementation compounded problems for the next administration, indicating that Ghanaians “slept and awoke to only realise that it [SSSS] has been a bad dream”.