By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The national executives of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), have expressed their displeasure over the government’s hasty public pronouncement on minimum wage talks.
The General Secretary of GNAT, Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah, faulted the government for issuing a press statement while negotiations on the 2025 Minimum Wage are still ongoing.
Mr. Tanko Musah described the move as unethical and an unfair labour practice.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Channel One News, the General Secretary of GNAT explained that releasing a public statement during negotiations could create unrealistic expectations among workers.
“It shouldn’t have been. Normally at this particular stage, you don’t comment on it. You keep it on the table so that when you all agree on what to do, then you go out there and put out the new minimum wage, which the country and all the employers must observe,” Mr. Tanko Musah opined.
According to the General Secretary of GNAT, the negotiations committee aims to finalise the minimum wage discussions by the end of the week, after which negotiations on base pay will follow.
“We are hoping that by the close of this week, the minimum wage should be fixed, and thereafter we will go ahead and look at the base pay. By next week, the base pay should also be done,” he added.
The National Tripartite Committee, comprising representatives from the government, employers, and organised labour, is still in discussions to determine the new minimum wage.
The government’s statement indicated that once negotiations on the minimum wage are concluded, talks on base pay for public sector salaries will commence.
However, both processes are behind schedule, as they were initially expected to be finalised by the end of April 2024, in line with the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act.
