Committee reviewing Single Spine Pay Policy to submit report soon
The nine-member committee reviewing the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) will soon present its report to the National Tripartite Committee.
This was announced by Mr. Benjamin Arthur, Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), at a press soiree in Accra on Monday.
He said the Committee had finished its work and would soon submit the report to the government for consideration and implementation.
The soiree was on the theme “FWSC—Connecting with the Media.”
In April 2022, the government, led by Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations and Pensions, inaugurated a nine-member committee tasked with reviewing the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) and submitting a report to the National Tripartite Committee (NTC).
The committee’s mandate was to assess the effectiveness of the SSPP in achieving its objectives, identify challenges in its implementation, and address issues such as linking performance to pay, market premiums, and the administration of salary differentials in the public sector.
The review will also consider factors like productivity, comparative salary standards in the private sector, and international salary benchmarks to ensure consistency in public sector pay.
This review was initiated in response to labour unrest, particularly from workers in the education and health sectors, who have raised concerns over pay disparities within the public sector.
Mr. Arthur stressed the Commission’s commitment to linking salaries to performance.
He assured public sector workers that the approach would ensure fairness and equality, rather than being just a theoretical concept.
Reflecting on past achievements, Mr. Arthur noted that in 2014, the Commission successfully harmonized public service salaries and worked towards eliminating disparities to promote fairness.
Mr. Arthur reported that the Commission had completed and signed negotiations with 44 unions and institutions from January 2024 to the present.
He added that seven institutions had been successfully migrated to the new grade structure.
Mr. Arthur commended whistleblowers for their crucial role in uncovering irregularities within the public sector.
However, he acknowledged the challenges faced by the Commission, particularly in 2024, an election year, which saw 14 industrial actions, all of which have since been resolved.
Mr. Arthur said that the Commission would continue to engage with unions and stakeholders to address concerns and maintain peaceful labour relations.
He revealed that the nationwide payroll monitoring exercise had resulted in a significant saving of GH¢345 million for the country.
Mr. Cephas Amada, Director of Salary Administration at the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), explained that the determination of salaries under the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) is based on several factors, not just qualifications.
These factors include learning experience, job evaluation, the development of grade structures, salary structures, and migration.
Dr. Baaba Anquandah, Director of Performance Management at FWSC, said that the Commission has sensitized nine institutions to link pay to productivity.
She also disclosed that the World Bank was collaborating with the Ghana Statistical Service to develop productivity indicators for Public Sector Organizations (PSOs), which will be used to inform base pay negotiations for the next five years.
Source: GNA