Ghana government increases base pay from GH¢7 to GH¢8

Mr Harruna Iddrisu, Minister of Labour and Employment, on Wednesday said the base pay for 2016 had been increased by 10 percent for those with public wages and salaries.

He said a meeting between the tripartite committee which comprised Government, organized labour and employers had also concluded that the minimum wage would also increase from GH¢7 a day to GH¢8 a day.

Addressing the press, Mr Iddrisu called on the private sector to comply with the new directive.

He called on the public to disregard the perception being created by some people that Government was insensitive to the plight of the nurses who have embarked on a strike action, adding that Government recognized the essential services they provided.

He noted that 90 percent of psychiatric nurses who had accurate data with the Controller-General Department had been paid, adding that today 58 psychiatric nurses had also been paid and urged them to go back to work.

He said Government had decided that any Government worker who went on strike would not receive his or her salary for the month(s) in which he or she went on strike.

He said the salary for the 7,900 nurses delayed because any decision by the Controller-General’s Department to pay them last month would have resulted in the delay of the payment of all Government workers.

He called for the provision of adequate data to the Controller-General Department to avoid delays in the payment of salaries.

He urged MMDAs to desist from employing people without gaining the necessary clearance from the Ministry of Finance.

Source: GNA