TUC calls for high wages

Many Ghanaian workers are struggling to feed their families and honour other obligations due to the negative impact of unstable petroleum prices, rapid depreciation of the cedi against major foreign currencies and high inflation.

In line with this, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana Employers Association and Government are to negotiate to determine the 2016 daily minimum wage so it would be covered by the 2016 National Budget.

Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the TUC, on Friday, noted that Ghanaian workers were suffering due to the harsh economic conditions.

He said Organised Labour would call for an adjustment in wages.

“We’re going through one of the worst economic downturns, and there’s limit to which one can accommodate the hardship,” he said.

“The anticipation we had for progress of the economy at our last negotiations has not gone as expected. All the economic indicators have gone out of gear,” Mr Asamoah pointed out.

Negotiation will also take place between the TUC and Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee (PSJSNC), made up of the Fair Wages & Salaries Commission (FWSC), which represents government, the Ministries of Employment and Labour Relations and Finance, institutional groupings and associations to determine the 2016 pay adjustment levels for public sector workers.

It would be recalled that the National Tripartite Committee announced a 16.17 percent daily minimum wage for this year, whereas the PSJSNC made an increment of 13 percent, covering the consolidation of the 10 percent 2014 Cost of Living Allowance.

A lot has transpired since January 20, 2015, when the new wage was announced.

Organised Labour is bent on ensuring that Categories Two and Three allowances of the Single Spine Pay Structure, which have been frozen since 2010, are released this year per the terms of conditions for this year’s wage determination.

They include acting allowance, additional duty allowance, travelling expense allowance, uniform allowance, transfer allowance and out of station allowance.