The Minister for Labour, Jobs, and Employment, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has emphasised that a strong and viable economy is essential to meeting the needs of workers in Ghana.

Speaking at the 2025 National Economic Dialogue on Tuesday, March 4, the Minister reflected on recent negotiations with labour unions, noting that workers initially requested a 35 per cent base pay increase, but the government could only offer 10 per cent.

He explained that such a high increment would consume the country’s total earnings, leaving little for development.

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"I began to reflect on it after looking at everything that happened and I asked myself, the first time they requested an increment was up to 35% - the Finance Minister almost collapsed and he said 35% will mean that the total earnings of this economy is going to be paid to workers, meaning we will have nothing more to do," he said.

The Minister stated that improving wages and job security depends on a thriving private sector, increased agricultural output, and overall economic growth.

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“How do we satisfy the basic needs of our labour? It’s about a strong economy, a viable economy. It’s about a strong private sector that can produce workers, that can produce the required pay, to be able to function well as Ghanaians,” he stressed.

The Minister added that every policy decision regarding labour and wages must be tied to economic sustainability.

“For everything that is said here, every increment, every positive direction we are moving, we have to have a consequential effect on the positive impact it is going to have on Ghanaian workers,” he affirmed.