Deputy Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, has linked Ghana’s persistently low salaries and wages to labour practices established during the colonial era.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, August 25, Dr Otoo said historical accounts indicated that colonial employers deliberately kept wages low to prevent workers from meeting their financial targets too quickly and leaving their jobs.
According to him, Ghanaian workers who received relatively high wages were believed to be capable of achieving their financial goals within about six months, after which they would stop working.
“The low salary has a historical antecedent, when wage and work were introduced in Ghana. According to the British, the Ghanaian worker has a target mentality: if you pay them well and they hit their target within six months, they stop the work,” he said.
Dr Otoo explained that colonial employers viewed higher wages as a potential cause of labour shortages, even where jobs were available.
“So the pay they could give you in six months, they extended it to one year, and that is the genesis, and we have not been able to overcome it,” he disclosed.
He said the wage structure encouraged workers to remain in employment for longer periods as they struggled to meet their financial objectives, thereby helping employers maintain a more stable workforce.
According to Dr Otoo, although Ghana has long since gained independence, the low-wage structure established under colonial rule has remained deeply embedded in the country’s labour market.
He argued that this historical legacy continues to contribute to the relatively low earnings of many Ghanaian workers.
Dr Otoo made the comments while discussing Ghana’s rising cost of living and the challenges facing workers on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show.
