Ghanaian worker demands nothing less than 33% salary increment 2023

Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM-GH) and the Coalition Against Leadership of TUC and Organized Labor has issued a strong warning to Dr Yaw Anthony Baah and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) not to toy with workers’ survival as they go into negotiations with the government for 2023 workers salaries.

Speaking on Skyy Power FM’s Late Evening Show on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, the Executive Secretary Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana, Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam said under the watch of Dr Baah, a technical committee was set up to come out with proposals for the base pay of public sector workers against 2023 for subsequent deliberation at the Tripartite Committee Meeting.

The committee he stated came out with their recommendations of 12.9% as the highest base pay increase for 2023.

The tripartite Committee Meeting which was scheduled for 5th July 2022 to deliberate on the recommendations of sub-technical committee findings had to be called off at the eleventh hour due to the poor work done by Dr Baah and his team.

“This whole dubious manipulation began when the Government’s formula used to calculate minimum wage through the bank of Ghana projections was introduced. Unfortunately, the Bank of Ghana’s projection of the 2022 inflation rate is 8% instead of the current 33% inflation rate.

One might wonder whether the Bank of Ghana with its renowned economist lives in space and not Ghana. Dr Yaw Anthony Baah also sat down and allowed the sub-technical committee to use the Bank of Ghana projections of an 8% inflation rate to calculate the 2023 minimum wage and salary increment.

The sub-technical committee set up by the tripartite committee came out with their recommendations that workers’ salary should be increased by 12.9% for 2023 and minimum wage should be Ghc14.00.”

ADAM-GH and Coalition Against Leadership of TUC and Organized Labor is however urging workers all over the country to be on standby and be alert while awaiting the announcement of the 2023 base pay, and if it turns out to be less than the 33% inflation rate, “we are occupying the TUC building this time around,” he warned.

“If Dr Baah and his team negotiate for anything less than 33% per cent as salary increment for the Ghanaian worker ahead of 2023, workers are going to mass up at the TUC office and lock it up.”

Source: Patrick Ennimil Arthur