Tripartite Committee charged to submit single spine review report in three months

Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, has charged the National Tripartite Committee to review the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) and submit a report on it in three months.

The Minister said this when he inaugurated a nine-Member Technical Committee to review the policy and make recommendations for consideration by the Government.

A Technical Sub-Committee of the NTC was also inaugurated by the Minister to submit proposals for the determination of the 2023 National Daily Minimum Wage (NDMW).

The Minister charged the Committee to assess the extent to, which the objectives of the policy had been achieved.

They are also to identify the key challenges in the implementation of the SSPP, including linking performance to pay, market premium and administration of salary differentials in the public sector.

The Committee was also tasked to make proposals on the policy, estimate its cost implications, advise the government on the implementation of the recommendations and consider any other matter consequential to the subject.

The review will, among others, consider productivity, comparative salary standards in the private sector, and international salary standards as a guide to ensure uniformity in public sector pay.

The review of the more than a decade old policy has been occasioned by labour unrest, mostly from health and educational sector workers over pay disparities in the public services.

Chaired by Dr Alhassan Iddrisu of the Ministry of Finance, the Committee has Mr Benjamin Arthur, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Ms Gloria Bortele Noi, and Mr Kingsley Laar as members.

Mr Isaac Sackey and Ms Dela Agbeli, representing employers, Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, Mr Benjamin Kobina Osei and Mr Daniel Amamoo, representatives of Organised Labour, are also members of the Committee.

Dr Iddrisu, Chairman of the National Tripartite Committee, accepted the challenge, and pledged that they would work and present a very good report to reflect the interest of all.

Mr Edward Asuo Afram from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) was the Chairman of the Sub-Committee, which has Mr Benjamin Arthur, Mrs Emma Ofori Agyemang, Mr Joseph Kingsley Amuah, Ms Asare-Yeboa, Mr Eugene Abraham, Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, Mr Isaac Baah, and Mr Ishmael Ankrah as members.

Mr Afram, Chairman of the Technical Sub-Committee, thanked the Minister for the confidence reposed in them and assured that they would deliver acceptable report.

The Government started implementing the pay policy in 2010 to regulate the payment of public service workers’ salaries, and guarantee better public sector pay.

However, workers have for several months been calling for a review of the policy indicating it had not served its purpose as there were still disparities in the salary among public sector workers.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in 2018 admitted to the need for equity in public sector salary structure and hinted of a review of the SSPP to address challenges encountered in its implementation.

He said that: “As we seek to establish a world-class labour force comparable to any in the world, we must address the concerns of workers in the public sector over their remuneration.”

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