Ghana daily minimum wage increased to GH¢10.65
The National Tripartite Committee (NTC) on Thursday announced a 10 per cent increase in the daily minimum wage.
As a result, the new minimum wage is GH¢10.65 up from GH¢9.68 and would take effect in January 2019.
Announcing the increase after deliberations of the NTC in Accra, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, thanked all the social partners for their collaboration in getting the wage set.
He said the decision was taken after a series of meetings held by government, labour and the employers association over the past four months.
Mr Awuah noted that the committee accordingly directed that any establishment, institution or organisation whose Daily Minimum Wage was below the new National Daily Minimum wage should adjust its wages upward with effect from 1st January, 2019.
He said any establishment, institution or organisation that flouted the new rate would be sanctioned in accordance with law, adding that it was illegal for any worker in Ghana to be paid below the minimum wage.
The Minister said the committee expressed its commitment to the improvement of incomes and productivity in both public and private sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
Dr Yaw Baah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said workers had agreed to the 10 per cent wage increase considering the current status of the economy and its ability to employ more workers and signalled that next year’s negotiations would focus on need for decent housing for workers to have peace of mind to work.
Mr Terrence Darko, President of the Ghana Employers Association, called on government to find new ways of bridging the gap between increase of wage and production.
“Government needs to urgently establish an acceptable method of calculating productivity,” he said.
The NDMW is set by the NTC, headed by the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations.
Other members are five representatives each from all the social partners (the government, employers and labour).
Source: GNA