Development economics lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS) Prof. Michael Adongo Ayamga has criticized Ghana’s public salary structure, arguing that it does not reward hard work.
Speaking on State of Our Nation on Dreamz FM, Prof. Adongo Ayamga said the salary structure places premium on people’s qualification and longevity on a job rather their output.
This, he suggested, has led to workers drawing salaries that are not commensurate with their output.
“The bigger problem in Ghana is the lack of a comprehensive wage structure that rewards work. So, it focuses on what qualification we have, which degrees they have and sometimes the longevity of their services determines how much they earn. You take these things and you get to the conclusion that our wage system does not work,” he stated.
The academic was speaking on a report by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) that highlights deep inequalities in public sector wages.
The report revealed that average net salary for public sector employees for 2022 stood at 2,594 but the lowest paid workers earned a paltry 418 with the highest paid earning salaries 81 times higher.
Prof. Michael Adongo attributed the disparity in the wages to the failure of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
He noted that while the policy was meant to ensure equal pay across the public sector, government has yielded to the demands of certain profession and labour unions that appear influential for pay rise while neglecting the rest.
“If you manage to streamline it a bit like the single-spine started to do, the power of the workforce varies. So there are certain unions who go on strike and the government has to bend to their will.”
