The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations has hinted that negotiations on a minimum wage and base pay are scheduled to begin soon and end by the close of February.

Nii Armah Ashietey said it is likely there will be a new wage though he said that will be contingent upon the outcome of the negotiations.

Mr Ashietey was speaking with TV3’s Daniel Opoku on the fears of public sector workers as regards the announced salary freeze by government for the year 2014 owing to the drain of the Single Spine Pay Policy on state coffers.

“It is important for us to explain the situation to allay the fears of workers that even if we talk about a freeze on salaries, obviously it must be subjected to negotiation,” he said.

“Government cannot impose wage freeze without discussing with Organized Labour,” he pointed out.

Workers are requesting an increase in the minimum wage, following what they claim is rising cost of living.

Already, the Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Kofi Asamoah, has hinted at an emergency meeting of the National Tripartite Committee to consider salary increase “as a way of cushioning workers on all these difficult times that we are in”.

For the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, it is the ability of government to pay that is paramount.

He noted that already government owes workers four months arrears from last year, revealing that payment of those arrears will begin this month.