No Show At Minimum Wage Negotiation

PARTIES THAT were expected to meet yesterday to negotiate the national minimum wage failed to do so because of a lot of challenges. While Government is insisting that it will not go beyond the 15 percent increment over last year’s wage amount of GH¢4.48, organised labour was looking for something better than that. Organised labour has therefore resolved to go to the meeting today and thrash out the issues. Workers have expressed the hope that a new minimum wage could be announced by the close of today even though there are still a lot of issues that all the parties need to work out at. Comprising government representatives, employers and organized labour, the tripartite committee has been meeting in recent times in an attempt to adjust the new daily minimum wage. Organized labour is proposing a 15.2 percent increase, which will translate into GH¢5.16, while Government wants to settle for a 15 percent increase to enable it manage the increasing wage bill, as well as the huge arrears it owes. Employers on the other hand are considering an increment that will not exceed the 9 percent inflation figure projected for 2013. Since the year began, five labour groups have embarked on strikes. They include the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), which suspended medical services to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cardholders. Members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Concerned Teachers Association (CCT), the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union and UTAG are calling for an upward adjustment of the daily wage. Meanwhile, economists have advised Government to be wary how much it raises wages in order to throw the economy out of gear.