President Nana Akufo-Addo has confirmed plans by the government to review the Single Spine Salary Structure for the public sector.
He said review would take into consideration productivity, comparative salary standards in the private sector, and international salary standards among other factors.
Speaking at the May Day Celebration in Kumasi on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo indicated that a committee would be formed soon to make recommendations to government on the way forward.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations in October 2017, inaugurated a committee to comprehensively review the current salary structures and fashion out the way forward in a move to efficiently address the inadequacies in Ghana’s national pay system.
The setting up of the Advisory Group for the Review of Pay Systems came in the wake of increasing concerns about the high public wage bill which consumes over 60 percent of government’s revenue.
It also follows concerns about the weak linkage between productivity and pay as pay is not commensurate with work, especially in the public sector.
According to the Labour Minister, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the work of the Advisory Group, chaired by Bright Wireko-Brobbey, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, could lead to the scrapping of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), whose continuous implementation has become a challenge for the government mainly because of the non-corresponding productivity to pay increase.
According to the Minister, the government would examine the advice of the committee should the scrapping of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) being implemented under the Single Spine Pay Policy, become part of its recommendations, and consider best available options.
The preliminary findings of the 11 member committee, which is expected to have additional members from stakeholder institutions, consists of members from the government side, Organized Labour and Ghana Employers Association (GEA), is yet to be made public.
According to the President said the review has become necessary because the government wants to build establish a world-class labour force comparable to one anywhere in the world.
“As we seek to establish a world-class labour force comparable to any in the world, we must address the concerns of workers in the public sector over their remuneration. An inter-ministerial committee is being established by the Ministries of Employment and Labour Relations and Finance, to undertake the review of the single spine pay policy and make recommendations for implementation by government,” he said.
He also explained that the review has become necessary because since the introduction of the pay policy in 2010 there has not been any significant review.
“Having operated with the policy since its inception in 2010, it is time to institute this review. The team is expected to do a thorough review of both public and private sector pay policies, not only in Ghana but across the globe to make informed recommendations for implementation. Productivity should be taken into consideration in the determination of remuneration for work done by employees in both the private and public sectors.”
President Akufo-Addo also advised public sector workers to adopt a positive attitude towards work.
“While we seek to review the remuneration, I continue to count on the Secretary-General of TUC to lead the campaign for change in attitude to work and increase productivity,” he added.
By Edmund Mingle/adrdaily.com
