In an effort to avert further strike actions by public sector workers, the government has agreed to pay a 15% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to workers.
The agreement was reached at a crunch meeting between the government and Organised Labour today.
The various worker unions, including the four teacher unions, the Ghana Medical Association, and the Public Services Workers Union, among others, demanded the payment of 20% COLA) due to the current economic hardship in the country.
The situation compelled the teacher unions and other public sector workers’ unions to embark on strike to press home their demand, while other unions in the Health sector threatened to join the strike.
According to the agreement, the payment of the COLA will take retrospective effect from July 1, 2022.
Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, reading out the terms of the agreement, said “we agreed with the labour unions that the COLA will be paid at the rate of 15% of base pay, that the effective date for the payment of the COLA will be 1st July 2022.”
“We also agreed that all industrial actions underway and threats of same will be called off immediately and that labour will return to work.
Consequently, the striking labour unions have called off their industrial action.
