The Minority in Parliament has rejected the 9% remuneration increase agreed for public sector workers in 2027, describing the adjustment as “nothing short of an insult” and calling for an immediate review of the deal.
In a statement issued on Friday, the caucus argued that the increase would do little to cushion workers against rising household expenses. It also questioned Organised Labour’s decision to accept a two-year wage agreement.
The statement was signed by Mavis Nkansah Boadu, Member of Parliament and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions.
According to the Minority, the agreement was reached on October 28, 2026, and provides for an 8% increase in base pay and a 1% adjustment in conditions of service in 2027. Workers are expected to receive a further 10% remuneration increase in 2028.
“This miserly adjustment is a direct assault on the dignity of workers, especially when juxtaposed with the compounding burden of utility tariff increases imposed on citizens across 2025 and 2026,” the statement said.
Minority questions wage adjustments amid rising costs
The caucus argued that successive wage increases had failed to protect workers’ purchasing power, citing increases of 10% in 2025 and 9% in 2026.
It estimated that electricity tariffs had increased by approximately 29% since the beginning of 2025, compared with cumulative wage growth of about 20%. Water tariffs, it added, had risen by roughly 18% over the same period.
The Minority also pointed to rising costs of rent, transportation, cooking gas and mobile data as additional pressures on workers’ incomes.
It accused the government of expecting workers to exercise wage restraint while household expenses continued to increase.
Labour leaders questioned over negotiations
The Minority also expressed concern about Organised Labour’s handling of the negotiations, arguing that union leaders had previously indicated their intention to push for a significantly higher adjustment.
It questioned why labour representatives eventually accepted the 9% increase and committed workers to a further year under the agreement.
“Workers are asking, and rightly so, whether their leaders went to the table to defend their wages or to deliver industrial peace for Government,” the statement said.
The caucus urged union members to demand a detailed account of the negotiations, calling on Organised Labour to publish the proposals it submitted and explain the concessions that led to the final agreement.
Calls for immediate renegotiation
The Minority has called on the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee to reconvene immediately to review the remuneration framework.
It further urged that future wage negotiations take into account changes in utility tariffs, commodity prices and other essential household expenses.
The caucus also accused the government of using the planned transition to the Independent Public Emoluments Commission to limit workers’ bargaining position.
Reaffirming its opposition to the agreement, the Minority said it would not accept the 9% adjustment amid what it described as persistent increases in electricity tariffs and the cost of living.
“We reject this insulting 9% pay deal in the face of relentless electricity tariff hikes,” the statement said.
