As Ghanaian workers continue to express displeasure about the recent 6% increment in daily wages, the Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, (FWSC) Dr. Edward kwapong has admitted that, the 6% increase may not be adequate but workers should bear with the commission as it expects a rebound of the economy to turn things around.
The Commission says it took into consideration the sustainability of jobs to prevent mass redundancies.
The National Tripartite Committee made up of employers, organised labour and government increased the minimum wage from 11.82 % in 2020 to 12.53 %.
The review took effect on Friday, June 4, 2021. The committee also negotiated for the 2022 salaries pegged at 13.53% and takes effect on January 1, 2021.
According to 3news, Dr. Kwapong said “We took into consideration the constraints of all the partners to prevent tension. Ability to pay is the golden rule. Do you have the ability to sustain your business? And you know cost of labour as a percentage of total operating cost is a major consideration for every entrepreneur so much as you see it as insignificant we are doing this to sustain jobs in this country”.
He told Host of the Sunrise Morning Show on 3FM Alfred Ocansey that it is true cost of living is going up but it is a matter of two options that are really difficult to handle so the commission chose the better of the two margins.
