Mahama’s 10% base pay is a cheat -Minority

The Minority in Parliament have criticised President John Mahama for granting only a 10% increase in the base pay of public sector workers. This decision, they stated, was woefully inadequate to cushion workers against rising inflation and economic hardship.

The Minority, led by Stephen Amoah, described the increment as a betrayal of Ghanaian workers, especially considering that the previous NPP administration approved a 25% wage adjustment in 2024, despite operating under an IMF programme and global economic challenges.

“With the same level of inflation last year, President Mahama short-changed Ghanaian workers by making an adjustment in the base pay by only 10%, citing economic difficulties,” Stephen Amoah said, during the presentation of the Minority’s True State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

The MP for Nhyiaeso Constituency added, “We are at a loss how an economy described by President Mahama as “criminally mismanaged” could deliver a wage adjustment of 25% and yet a reset economy cannot accommodate more than 10%, given the same level of inflation?”

 

The Minority argued that the decision flies in the face of President Mahama’s campaign promises, where he assured workers that his government would prioritise their welfare.

The opposition contended that Ghanaian workers were being forced to bear the brunt of the government’s fiscal mismanagement.

The Minority also highlighted that the NPP government, during its tenure, consistently offered better wage adjustments.

According to their data, the NPP government increased base pay by 25% in 2024 despite high inflation and economic restructuring under the IMF.

Labour unions have already begun expressing their disappointment with the base pay rise. The Ghana Registered Nurses Association and the Ghana National Association of Teachers have both called for the government to revisit the increment.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has expressed dissatisfaction over the 10 percent wage hike for public sector workers, maintaining its calls for a 30 percent increase.

The adjustment which marks the second in less than a year is expected to take effect on March 1, 2025.

Speaking during an interview on the Channel One Newsroom, Chairman of the TUC, Bernard Owusu, said they accepted the new wage adjustment due to a pending negotiation with the government in April this year.

“Nobody is okay with whatever the government gave to us. We accepted it on condition that we will be going for another negotiation around April and once that is done, we can then add more to what we have already acquired by having this negotiation with government.

“So nobody is happy about that because we could have gotten more but this is what the government is saying that yes we can give you ten percent because of the conditions that we came to meet,” he said.

Additionally, the opposition questioned how the government could justify the meagre pay rise when it had inherited significant revenues from the previous administration, including GH¢3 billion left in public accounts and GHS38 billion raised through Treasury Bills in January 2025.

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