Strikes in Ghana are not about base pay, rather condition of service – Labour Minister

The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, has said industrial actions that occur in Ghana center on conditions of service, not the actual base pay of public sector workers.

He stated that every year members of the public sector negotiations committee meet to negotiate the agreeable limits of salary increment.

“Usually, on annual basis, members of the public sector during negotiations committee will meet and negotiate on agreeable limit of increment. When so done it cuts across and you do not have any individual group coming to you to negotiate.

“So anytime you hear of any industrial action within the public space it is not not about base pay, it is rather about some condition of service which is peculiar to that particular organization,” he said while speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2022 labour conference on Monday February 28, in Kwahu-Nkwatia, Eastern Region.

He added “But with that of general increment we have always had smooth application of that. But I must admit, of late we have had calls made to us by some organizations that they want to opt out.

“This conference will look at it as to whether or not the single spine has actually lived its purpose, whether we should maintain it or whether we should make changes in its applications.”