By Konrad Kodjo Djaisi
The National Tripartite Committee (NTC), comprising organised labour, employers and Government, has announced that the daily minimum wage is now pegged at GH?5.24.
This effectively means the minimum wage has increased by 17 percent from GH?4.48 to the current GH?5.24
It takes effect from May 1, the National Tripartite Committee announced at the consultation of its 2013 National Minimum Wage Meeting.
This was contained in a communiqu? jointly signed by the Minister of employment and Labour Relations, Nii Armah Ashietey, for Government; the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Employers? Association (GEA), Mr. Alex Frimpong, for the President of GEA; and the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Kofi Asamoah, for Organised labour.
The Tripartite Committee has been meeting over the past few months to settle on a new minimum wage before May 1st. It said the committee had recommended that the national daily minimum wage should be tax-exempt.
The NTC reiterated its commitment to improvement of incomes and productivity in both the public and private sectors.
In a related development, the TUC has proposed that Government consider introducing a Basic Incomes Grant for those who are 60 years and above and not on a pension.
The TUC proposes that the basic income grant should be equal to the inflation-adjusted nutrition-based national poverty line, and should be increased on regular basis in line with increases in the cost of living.
President John Mahama asked the TUC to submit an elaborate proposal on how the basic income grant or social pensions should be funded for the elderly population to benefit.
?Government is willing and happy to engage organised labour on how we can collectively address the vulnerabilities of the less-privileged in our society, and we welcome any ideas and policy options,?? he said.
This year?s May Day celebration was on the theme ?Pension: It?s your right and your responsibility?.
