Vice President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Jacob Anaba, says the salary upward adjustment that the government had granted organized labour at the beginning of the year has all been eroded.

In January this year, the government and organized labour had agreed to a base pay increment of 30% following several unsuccessful negotiations.

However, following months of rising inflation and a higher cost of living, organised labour say the 30% increment has been eroded and are thus targeting a 60% increment or more ahead of the next financial year.

This comes at a time where government has agreed to limit public sector wage increments and increase productivity as a way to consolidate the nation’s fiscal policy under the IMF programme.

According to Jacob Anaba, the situation could have been prevented had the government sat down with organized labour to discuss homegrown solutions to spur economic growth.

“When we were calling for government to sit with us before going to IMF they never did. We needed to sit down so that we could make certain proposal that could help government overcome some of these economic difficulties, government never sat down with organized labour.

“They have gone to IMF and they’re back with a paper, we’re not part of that paper. What we know is that we’re going to work hard as Ghanaian workers, produce very highly and we should be paid what is due us,” he said.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he mentioned that the financial status of many government workers in dire straits as a result of the erosion of their salaries, thus justifying the need to demand more at the next tripartite engagement.

“Evans, you said inflation has taken almost half of our salary, so the real value is not what you’re mentioning. Apart from that, look at the tariff rise. Electricity has gone up by 49% or so, electricity alone. Rent – so you can imagine the real amount the workers are taking home.

“The workers are really suffering, so in fact some of us wonder how we’re able to make it by the end of the month. It is a real suffering situation we’re talking about. So this rise in pay has not done any significant difference in our lives. It has not.

“Because immediately we had that rise, electricity company increased their rates by 30%, lorry fares went up. Almost everything. So as we speak our real salaries are less than what you mentioned on the set.”