The CEO of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Ben Arthur has dismissed claims that his outfit is not remunerating public sector workers fairly.

Speaking on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, during JoyFM’s Super Morning Show, he stated that the assessment of all salaries, allowances, and other forms of remuneration for public sector workers is largely based on productivity and the ability of the employer (government) to pay.

“It is not a fact that we are not paying fair wages to workers in the country. We already have in existence, under Article 36 of our 1992 Constitution, that makes it imperative to match pay and productivity and it mentions that, in order for fair and realistic wages to be paid, there’s a need to tie all those things in the promotion of productivity,” he said.

His comment was in response to concerns raised over the disparity in the remuneration of Article 71 office holders and other public sector workers.

Discussions on the show centered on the reasons adduced by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) for their strike and whether public sector salaries are tied to productivity.

UTAG withdrew its services on Monday, January 10. According to the Association, the strike is occasioned by the government’s failure to address the worsening conditions of service of lecturers.

They requested the government to restore the conditions of service agreed upon in 2012 which they said is far better than what pertains currently.

Mr. Arthur pointed out that as far as the FWSC is concerned, it is good to tie pay to productivity because if strictly applied, even among lecturers, teachers, doctors of the same grade, depending on how much they input, they are not likely to end up having the same salary at the end of the month.

“So we need to engage each other get the key ingredients in it dispassionately, pilot it and make sure it’s something that will work for us,” he said.

Although UTAG has indicated that until their demands are met, they will not return to work, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission insists that UTAG must return to the negotiation table since striking is not the best solution.

But in a reaction, Prof Gyampo, who was a co-panelist on the show described Mr. Arthur's comments as "nauseating." He accused Mr. Arthur of being a propagandist instead of doing his job as the head of the FWSC.

"Our people are saying that they are not being paid fairly. We teach people today, they get out of school tomorrow, they become Article 7 officeholders, then they see us and mock us telling us that being a teacher was our choice but we all can't leave the classroom to go join politics," he lamented.

He added that the Association is "prepared to destabilise your [the Fair Wages Commission] salary structure [for public sector workers] such that we would build a certain form of equilibrium in our salary structure. We'll fight till our conditions of service becomes a reality."