Fair Wages Commission to submit final report in July

Accra, June 4, GNA - The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission set up by government is to submit its final report on the new single spine salary structure on July 31. Mrs. Victoria Cooper-Enchia, Consultant on the new pay policy, made

this known at the Bi-annual Joint Steering Committee meeting with donor partners to afford various stakeholders the opportunity to share experiences on implementation of the reform agenda.

Mrs. Cooper-Enchia, who is also the president of CoEn Consulting, said the major weakness of the previous pay reform initiatives was the absence of a legally mandated institution with definite responsibility for everything related to pay related issues across the public sector. She said a framework had been developed in that regard to manage and coordinate all negotiations to ensure that decisions were implemented on all matters relating to salaries, wages, grading, classification and conditions of service. Other areas are job analysis and job evaluation, performance management and indicators, allowance and benefits across the public sector. Employees from all public sector institutions paid from the consolidated fund would be included on the structure.

On job analysis, Mrs. Cooper-Enchia noted that internal equity was a pillar for compensation in any structure. The Commission has recommended that allowances related to normal duties, responsibilities and requirements of a job be discussed and agreed separately.

Mr. Samuel Owusu-Agyei, Minister of Public Sector Reform, noted that the coordinated support of Ghana's development partners had effectively helped in the quality of the reform implementation. "The government of Ghana recognizes the allocation of additional funds for public sector reform to the tune of 10 million dollars as an indication of the World Bank's trust," he said. Mr. Owusu-Agyei said government remained committed to the implementation of recommended pay policies but acknowledged the need to move in phases to avoid overrunning of national budget. "Significant progress has been achieved in the delivery of training programmes, specifically designed for the leadership of the Civil Service,"

he said, adding that, 400 top civil servants had already participated in the accelerated training programme at GIMPA. Mr. Robertson Allotey, Acting Chief Director of the Ministry, noted that the success of the reform depended on the commitment of the various implementing agencies and stakeholders and called for all hands to be on deck. He said the Ministry would continue to accelerate the reforms to enhance the capacity of the Public Services for improved service delivery. 4 June 08