Organised Labour Backs IPEC, Demands Continuous Role in Pay Reforms

Organised Labour has expressed support for the proposed Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC), while calling for its continuous involvement in the development and implementation of the new public sector compensation framework.

The position was made known at a two-day stakeholder engagement organised by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to solicit labour’s views on the proposed IPEC Bill.

Held under the theme, “Towards an Independent, Equitable, and Sustainable Compensation System: Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Ghana’s Public Sector Pay Reforms,” the engagement sought to incorporate the views of organised labour into the draft legislation.

The Bill, when passed, will establish IPEC and repeal the existing Act 737, which governs the FWSC. The proposed commission is expected to provide a new framework for determining and managing public sector compensation, with emphasis on fairness, transparency and fiscal sustainability.

The Chief Executive of the FWSC, Dr George Smith-Graham, said IPEC must represent a fundamental transformation in public sector compensation management rather than simply a change of name.

“IPEC should represent the next generation of public compensation governance,” he said. “Our purpose is not to manufacture consensus. It is to understand differences and build a system that commands legitimacy.”

Dr Smith-Graham said lessons from the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy should inform the proposed system and stressed the need for labour’s active participation.

“Government needs Organised Labour. We do not want you to see yourselves as merely invited to comment on somebody else’s Bill,” he stated.

More than 50 labour organisations participated in the engagement, including the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), CLOGSAG, UTAG and the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

The Secretary-General of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, assured the government of labour’s support for IPEC but urged authorities to maintain its involvement throughout the process.

“We must have people who start the process from the beginning and end it properly—not start halfway through only to tell a different story,” he said.

Mr Ansah also cautioned against a fragmented approach to public sector pay reforms, calling instead for a comprehensive review.

“We don’t want a piecemeal approach. It should be holistic so that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander,” he stated.

He said organised labour remained ready to work with government to establish a compensation system that is fair, transparent and equitable.

The stakeholder consultations are expected to inform the final drafting of the IPEC Bill before its presentation to Parliament for consideration.