Ghana Public Sector Salaries Increased By 23% After Negotiations On The 2024 Base Pay

Ghana Public Sector Salaries Increased By 23% After Negotiations On The 2024 Base Pay

  • The government of Ghana has increased the salary of public sector workers by 23 percent
  • Some sections of organised labour were initially demanding at least a 60 percent increase in their salaries
  • The Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana President, Isaac Donkoh, confirmed to the increment to YEN.com.gh

The government has increased the salary of public sector workers by 23 percent following negotiations on the 2024 base pay.

The increase took effect from January 1, 2024.

Ghana workers get salary increase
Some workers had demanded a 60 percent increase. Source: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

The Controller and Accountant General, Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem, confirmed the increment to the Daily Graphic.

He said the government had already approved the upward adjustment payment.

"The government is very committed to upholding workers interests and has never faulted in paying salaries even when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020,” Kwaning-Bosompem said.

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Some members of organised labour confirmed the payment of the increase.

The Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana President, Isaac Donkoh, confirmed to YEN.com.gh that his members had started getting the increment.

Donkoh also noted that there will be a further 2 percent increment later in 2024.

"When we met them, this was the agreement the parties had, that government will increase the base pay between January 2024, to June 2024 by 23 percent. Then from July to December 2024, they will add 2 percent to the 23 to get 25 percent."

Before this development, there was a stalemate between the government and the organised labour of education unions, including the Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), because they were demanding at least a 60 percent increase in their salaries.

The government has offered a 12 percent increase in base pay, but the public sector workers rejected the offer.

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Recent labour unrest

YEN.com.gh reported that the Senior Staff Association-Universities in Ghana disrupted activities in public universities after a strike lasting about a month.

The Senior Staff Association of Universities in Ghana and the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association of Ghana went on strike from January 17, 2024, to February 9, 2024.

They wanted the government to pay all outstanding debt and contributions with appropriate interest from February to December 2023.

The unions also wanted the government to include the three percent penalty rates stipulated by the Pension Act, Act 766 section 64 because of the delays.

They were also upset with the policy cancelling overtime allowances, which was reversed by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Delali Adogla-Bessa avatar

Delali Adogla-Bessa (Current Affairs Editor) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.