President Nana Akufo-Addo says 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, especially those involving public sector workers.
The president made the statement at the celebration of this year’s May Day at the Independence Square in Accra.
He said the committee, is expected to make recommendations that will inform the government on whether the policy is still relevant and what actions must be taken if it is found not to be fit for purpose.
Addressing the thousands of members of various labour unions in the country, the president said, “I am happy to announce that following the national labour conference at Kwahu, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the partners have set up a technical committee to review the Single Spine Pay Policy and advice 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.”
The labour front in Ghana has in the last three years been chaotic, with many different groups staging strikes, demonstrations and other forms of protest to demand different benefits, often linked to their conditions of service.
The single spine pay policy, implemented in 2010 was to regulate the payment of public service workers’ salaries and also guarantee better public sector pay.
After over a decade in use, it is yet to be reviewed, with some analysts suggesting that the policy, in its current form, can be blamed for some of the agitations on the labour front.
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.
