The Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Haruna Iddrisu has indicated that a new minimum wage will be announced in September.
The tripartite committee has tasked a technical committee to present a report on the new minimum wage report by July 7.
[contextly_sidebar id=”GBv77Vg7hQCWEzuCwKcXXVtYuOpUK4Re”]Haruna Iddrisu at a press conference on Friday said the public sector joint negotiation committee has started work on the review of the base pay.
In January, the national tripartite committee agreed that the national daily minimum wage should be increased by 16.7%.
The daily minimum wage thus increased from CHC 6 to GHC 7 and it took effect from January 1, 2015.
The tripartite committee however recommended that the increment should be tax exempt.
After the increment, Haruna Iddrisu explained the importance of the new daily minimum wage saying, it was pegged at GHC 7 to arrest “the continuous rise in inflation.”
The Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA) however said some of its members would struggle to pay the new amount because some businesses in the country are facing serious financial and economic challenges.
It is unclear yet whether the current wage will be maintained or increased.
The national tripartite committee met at the Ministry on Friday with the President of the Ghana Employers’ Association, Terry Darko, the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kofi Asamoah, representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Employment in attendance.
The sector Minister announced that government has given the national tripartite committee a proposal for a housing scheme for public sector workers.
This, he said is because government recognizes the immense impact the housing deficit has on the country.
Meanwhile, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) will also convene the public sector joint standing negotiations committee to determine the base pay for 2016.
By: Raymond Acquah/citifmonline.com/Ghana