The government has adjusted the salary of public sector workers by 23 per cent.

This follows the conclusion of negotiations on the 2024 base pay.

Payment of the 23 per cent adjustment took effect from January 1, this year.

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

He said approval had already been given by the government for the payment of the 23 per cent adjustment.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem indicated that the government had been very committed to the emoluments of public sector workers, and that salaries had been paid not only in the right amount, but on dates published for payment of salaries.

The Controller and Accountant General’s Department at the beginning of every year publishes the dates of payments for salaries of public sector workers.

Commitment

"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,” Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said.

“In other jurisdictions, during the COVID-19 pandemic, salaries were cut and people were laid off, but in Ghana the government kept faith with workers by paying their salaries,” he added.

Mr Kwaning-Bosompem said the government had done its bit, and that it was expected that public sector workers would work hard to help to stabilise the economy.

"The economy has started showing signs of full recovery, and we must work together to stabilise the fiscal environment and prosecute stability in the macroeconomic environment," the Controller and Accountant General said.

Organised Labour

Some members of Organised Labour have confirmed the payment of the 23 per cent increase in base pay by the government.

The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) confirmed the payment of the base pay.

The General Secretary of the union, Mark Dankyira Korankye, who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic, said his outfit had so far not received any complaint whatsoever from its rank and file regarding the payment.

"As far as our members are concerned they have received their pay based on the new 23 per cent salary adjustment," he emphasised.

Recall

The government last year increased the base pay on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) by 30 per cent across the board.

The 30 per cent is the biggest increment Organised Labour has secured out of negotiations with the government since 2010 when the government increased the base pay by 20 per cent, and by the same margin in 2011.

The 30 per cent increment of the base pay last year also brought an end to the cost of living allowance (COLA) of 15 per cent which the government paid public sector workers between July and December last year.

Before the current administration came to power in 2017, the highest increment had been 12 per cent, which was secured in 2017.