Organised Labour has successfully secured a 23% increment in the base pay for the year 2024.
The agreement, set to take effect from January 1, 2024, to June 2024, will see an additional 2% raise from July 2024 to December 2024, bringing the total increase for the year to 25%.
This falls significantly short of the initial demand by Labour for a 75% increment to offset the rising cost of living in the country.
The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, announced the decision, specifying that the minimum wage would be reviewed upwards by 22%, ranging from GH₵14.88 to GH₵18.15.
“We agreed that the minimum wage would be reviewed upwards by 22%, averaging from GH₵14.88 to GH₵18.15…We have concluded that the national base pay will be increased by 23% between 1st January, 2024 to 30 June 2024 and subsequently an additional 2% increment will be added making it 25% from July to December 2024,” remarked the Minister.
Addressing the media after the negotiation, Dr. Yaw Baah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), expressed optimism about the government’s diligent implementation of the decision.
Dr. Isaac Bampoe Addo, Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), voiced discontent with the increment. He argued that the government should have ample resources to offer a more substantial raise and urged authorities to scrutinize system wastage to facilitate future increments.
“Government upon government, whatever colour it is, has always complained about no money, they’ve given all sorts of reasons but we have resolved that this must change,” he added.
The financial implications and the effectiveness of this agreement in alleviating the economic challenges faced by Ghana’s workforce remain to be seen, as stakeholders continue to assess the impact of this negotiated settlement on the country’s labour landscape.
Source:norvanreports