[ 2014-04-14 ]

Minimum wage negotiations in limbo
Negotiations on the national daily minimum wage
have ended abruptly without any concrete decision
as labour rejected employers’ offer of 2.5 per
cent.

The committee comprising government, organised
labour and employers met on February 21, 2014
following workers agitations for improved service
conditions.

At that meeting, labour made a strong case for the
daily minimum wage to be increased by 20 percent.

Although last year the daily minimum wage was
increased by 17 per cent from GHc4.48 pesewas to
GHc5.24 pesewas, organized labour has justified
its demand for another increase citing the upward
adjustment of utility tariffs and the increase in
inflation rate.

At a meeting held on March 12, 2014, employers
offered only a 2.5 per cent increase in the
national daily minimum wage. They cited the high
operational costs and government’s proposal to
freeze public sector wage increments as their main
reasons.

Labour rejected the offer, prompting the Minister
for Employment and Labour Relations, Nii Armah
Ashitey, who chairs the committee to adjourn the
negotiations.

Business Dav Ghana has learnt that the National
Tripartite committee has not met since the meeting
was adjourned.

A member of the committee who spoke to Business
Day Ghana on condition of anonymity said the
Employment Minister has since been out of the
country for some international assignments.

The source who is not happy about the development
said government is taking organized labour for
granted because of divisions within the
leadership.

"For about a month now, we have not met. I called
the ministry they said the Minister has travelled
again. How can that happen? But we must blame
ourselves. If we are organized, they cannot
adjourn discussions on the minimum wage sine die.
As I speak I don’t know when we are meeting
again. This is unusual because if the minister has
to travel, organized labour must be informed
because we adjourned the meeting with the
understanding that we are meeting in the next
three days. And nothing has happened since then,
he lamented.”

The source said this will affect negotiations on
the base pay and other conditions of service. The
anonymous member of the National Tripartite
Committee fears this could spark agitations during
the impending May Day Celebrations.

"It will affect other negotiations. The
understanding was that we have to determine the
minimum wage to be used as the basis for the other
negotiations. This is the fourth month that we
have entered. May Day is coming and I am praying
that nothing happens on the May Day. Because we
have nothing, we have no message for our members.
And they can use that platform to do whatever they
want to do."

Last week Seth Terkper, the Finance and Economic
Planning Minister announced that the negotiations
for upward review of the Base Pay have commenced
under the auspices of the Public Services Joint
Standing Negotiating Committee. It marks the end
of the five-year implementation cycle for the
Single Spine Pay Policy (SPSS), which commenced in
2010.

Source - Business Day

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