Government assures Ghanaian workers of new salary structure
Gilbert Boyefio
13/10/2006
Government has assured workers of a new policy which will determine the framework within which public sector salaries, wages, negotiations, grading and pay administration will be implemented.
It is expected that by January, 2007, a rationalised, equitable and comprehensive pay structure for all the public services will commence, with the cost factored into the 2007 budget.
Government has therefore urged workers to strictly abide by labour laws in the country, and adhere to the processes required to ensure the integrity of wages and salary administration.
Speaking at a media briefing, on efforts being made by Government in the area of comprehensive pay reform, the Minister for Public Sector Reforms, Paa Kwesi Nduom, flanked by the Ministers for Finance and Economic Planning, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, and Manpower, Youth and Employment, Boniface Abubakar Saddique, said with the implementation of this policy, the cycle of strikes and who gets more than who will be history.
Dr Nduom said Government recognised the agitation across board in the public sector, about inequities in the administration of wages and salaries.
Again he went on to say that the broad policy objective of Government, in relation to pay, is to aim for wage increases, in line with productivity gains. "Government will therefore ensure that public sector employees are equitably compensated in relation to each other, based on their performance," he added.
He disclosed that the intention of Government is to reduce salary and wage disparities between public sector institutions, while promoting productivity within that sector and the national economy as a whole.
In addition, it will reduce and ultimately eliminate disparities within the public service, as well as bridge the gap, between public and private sector incomes which will be progressively narrowed as and when resources become available.
"We will set a goal of the percentage of what the private sector gets, that Government will pay to its workers, and then take 3 to 5 years to reach that standard based on the ability to pay. But that standard will be there for all to know and monitor progress towards it," he stated.
Dr Nduom said the policy is aimed at ensuring that incomes in the national economy are fairly distributed across socio-economic groups, gender, and region, and that all categories of workers receive fair remuneration for their labour.
The framework will also draw on international best practices that strategically position the labour market in competitive and dynamic economies.
Dr Nduom said an independent commission will be put in place and given the necessary resources to maintain the new system and ensure equity.
According to him, the whole nation needs to know that Government has not been sitting idle only to be compelled by industrial action to act.
He said the budget statement, read by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, in November 2005, affirmed Government's policy decision on pay reforms approved by Cabinet, and emphasised that it will be implemented progressively and in phases.
13/10/2006
Government has assured workers of a new policy which will determine the framework within which public sector salaries, wages, negotiations, grading and pay administration will be implemented.
It is expected that by January, 2007, a rationalised, equitable and comprehensive pay structure for all the public services will commence, with the cost factored into the 2007 budget.
Government has therefore urged workers to strictly abide by labour laws in the country, and adhere to the processes required to ensure the integrity of wages and salary administration.
Speaking at a media briefing, on efforts being made by Government in the area of comprehensive pay reform, the Minister for Public Sector Reforms, Paa Kwesi Nduom, flanked by the Ministers for Finance and Economic Planning, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, and Manpower, Youth and Employment, Boniface Abubakar Saddique, said with the implementation of this policy, the cycle of strikes and who gets more than who will be history.
Dr Nduom said Government recognised the agitation across board in the public sector, about inequities in the administration of wages and salaries.
Again he went on to say that the broad policy objective of Government, in relation to pay, is to aim for wage increases, in line with productivity gains. "Government will therefore ensure that public sector employees are equitably compensated in relation to each other, based on their performance," he added.
He disclosed that the intention of Government is to reduce salary and wage disparities between public sector institutions, while promoting productivity within that sector and the national economy as a whole.
In addition, it will reduce and ultimately eliminate disparities within the public service, as well as bridge the gap, between public and private sector incomes which will be progressively narrowed as and when resources become available.
"We will set a goal of the percentage of what the private sector gets, that Government will pay to its workers, and then take 3 to 5 years to reach that standard based on the ability to pay. But that standard will be there for all to know and monitor progress towards it," he stated.
Dr Nduom said the policy is aimed at ensuring that incomes in the national economy are fairly distributed across socio-economic groups, gender, and region, and that all categories of workers receive fair remuneration for their labour.
The framework will also draw on international best practices that strategically position the labour market in competitive and dynamic economies.
Dr Nduom said an independent commission will be put in place and given the necessary resources to maintain the new system and ensure equity.
According to him, the whole nation needs to know that Government has not been sitting idle only to be compelled by industrial action to act.
He said the budget statement, read by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, in November 2005, affirmed Government's policy decision on pay reforms approved by Cabinet, and emphasised that it will be implemented progressively and in phases.
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