'I expected an 8.5% salary increment' – Austin Gamey backs 9% base pay

Labour analyst Austin Gamey has described the newly approved 9% base pay increase for 2026 as largely fair, though he believes a slightly lower 8.5% adjustment would have been more prudent given Ghana’s current economic conditions.

Speaking on Morning Starr with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, Gamey explained that salary adjustments should primarily reflect inflation and cost of living.

With Ghana’s inflation hovering around 8%, he said any increment above that must be handled cautiously to avoid fuelling inflationary pressures.

Gamey noted that the forum of national partnership, which oversees wage negotiations, is expected to base decisions on economic data rather than political considerations.

He explained, in part: “What we use traditionally is about inflation. It’s about cost of living, generally. Once in a while, we talk about forex. So if that is still the method that is being used, very clearly, a 9% adjustment overall on the pay is a proper reflection of what the economy is about.”

He added that, for the purpose of keeping inflation in check, “I would have been expecting…an 8.5% or so increase. So rounding it up to 9% is a reflection of what the state of the economy is about…So that’s a fair reflection. And so anyone who may be speaking contrary to that is either misaligning the body…without adequacy of knowledge about it.”

Gamey’s comments follow the signing of a new wage agreement under the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee (PSJSNC) on Sunday, November 9, 2025.

The agreement raises the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) by 9% for 2026, effective January to December.

Some labour unions, however, have rejected the increment, insisting on their earlier demand for a 20% raise.