2027 Pay Deal: What the 9% package means for your salary

Public sector workers on Ghana’s Single Spine Salary Structure will receive an 8% increase in their basic salaries from January 1, 2027, under a new agreement between the government and Organised Labour.

The total salary package is 9%, comprising two components: an 8% increase in basic salaries and an additional 1% allocation towards improving conditions of service, including allowances and other employment benefits.

This means a worker earning a basic monthly salary of GH¢3,000 will receive an additional GH¢240, bringing their new basic salary to GH¢3,240 before deductions. This excludes any additional benefits that may accrue from the 1% allocation for conditions of service.

The additional 1% is intended to help address disparities in workers’ allowances and other employment benefits. The TUC Secretary-General, Joshua Ansah, said the focus would include protecting lower-paid and vulnerable workers.

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The agreement, signed on October 28, 2026, covers the 2027 and 2028 salary years, giving workers and the government advance clarity on the planned salary adjustments over the two-year period.

For 2028, workers are expected to receive a further 10% increase in their basic salaries, effective January 1. The increase will be calculated based on their basic salaries at the end of 2027.

Using the same example, a worker whose basic salary increases to GH¢3,240 in 2027 would earn GH¢3,564 in 2028, assuming no other adjustments to the basic salary.

The agreement also makes provision for a review of the 2028 salary increase in the event of a significant rise in inflation.

Under the arrangement, the negotiating committee will reconvene if the inflation rate for December 2027 exceeds twice the government's projected midpoint of 8%, equivalent to more than 16%.

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson said the agreement would help protect workers' incomes while enabling the government to plan its expenditure more effectively.

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Organised Labour welcomed the agreement but acknowledged that the agreed increase might not fully address the financial challenges facing workers.

"We recognise, however, that this figure does not fully reflect the pressures workers face in meeting their daily needs," Ansah said.

DR/MA

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