Govt targets fair pay: Independent Emoluments Commission to remove Article 71 distortions - President tells workers
President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaian workers that the proposed Independent Emoluments Commission will significantly enhance the conditions of public sector workers.
He said the commission would create a new and fairer system for remunerating all workers, from the President right down to the lowest paid Ghanaian worker.
“We intend to use the constitutional review process to remove the distortion created by Article 71 conditions of service and emoluments,” he said, giving an assurance that the Fair Wages and Salary Commission had started work on the commission.
Fairer salary structure
Addressing Organised Labour at the 2026 national May Day in Koforidua last Friday, President Mahama said “The Independent Commission will provide a fairer, more transparent salary structure that ensures that public sector salaries align with market realities, reducing strikes and worker uncertainty.
“This is a reset of the compensation structure to ensure fairness, transparency and a living wage that reflects the true cost of living,” he said.
The event, which was marked on the theme, “Pivoting to growth, jobs and sustainable livelihoods beyond the macroeconomic stability, brought together 32 workers’ unions to mark the day.
It also attracted people from all walks of life, including the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, members of the Council of State, ministers of state and senior government officials and members of Parliament.
Others were the Chairman of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Bernard Owusu; the General Secretary of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, members of the diplomatic corps, head of security agencies, and traditional authorities.
Pension reforms
President Mahama said since the pension reforms were implemented in 2010, the government had not conducted a review of the new system.
He explained that many years after the introduction of the tiered pension structure, many workers still complained of inadequate pensions.
“We are commissioning a review of the operation of our pension scheme after which consultations will be held with Organised Labour and stakeholders to decide whether any modifications are needed,” he said.
Restoration of electricity
President Mahama said his administration believed that the mandate given to him was a sacred one, and that he must work in the best interest of all Ghanaians.
He recalled the fire incident at the Akosombo Hydro Electric Dam and how engineers and technicians worked around the clock to restore operations, and commended the engineers of Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) for the hard work and ingenuity they put into restoring the hydro plant to full operation.
“These engineers are a living testament to the fact that Ghanaian workers are the nation's most valuable asset,” the President said.
Improved economy
Mr Mahama told the gathering that the theme for this year's May Day reflected exactly the roadmap of his administration.
He said when his administration took office, its first task was to stop the bleeding, stabilise the currency, rein in inflation, reduce interest rates and restore fiscal discipline.
“That was the message I delivered to you when we met at the May Day celebration last year in Accra,” he recalled.
Today, the government has also made good progress by restoring fiscal discipline, reduced inflationary pressures, stabilised the cedi, reduced interest rates and renewed investor confidence,” he stated.
President Mahama pointed out that those gains, though modest, marked a decisive turning point for Ghana’s economy and “we continue to move from recovery to transformation, from fragility to resilience”.
“We have made significant strides but as I have always said macroeconomic stability is desirable but it is not an end in itself.
“Stability is the foundation but it is not the house; the reset we speak of is about building the house on a stable foundation and it is about shifting from merely surviving to thriving,” he said.
Having successfully restored macroeconomic stability, President Mahama said the government was now aggressively pursuing growth and job creation, giving an assurance that the government would expand the economy to create jobs and prosperity for the Ghanaian people.
Decent jobs
President Mahama said under the Resetting Ghana agenda, the government would continue to prioritise the creation of decent jobs for the youth and Ghana's workforce.
“By investing in value addition and the digital economy, we will ensure that the Ghanaian worker is not just employed but empowered.
“A stable economy is only the foundation; the aim is a better life for you and your family,” he said.
The President pointed out that the Minister of Finance would soon present the new economic policy of Ghana to Cabinet and Parliament.
That policy, he said, aimed to focus on investing one per cent of GDP annually in selected growth areas of the economy that were high yielding in job creation.
Describing the 24-hour economy policy recently approved by Parliament as a flagship of growth strategy, he said the government was moving beyond the eight-hour workday and the manufacturing sector would provide tax and other incentives to industry.
He said the government would also reduce power costs for companies that operate multiple work shifts.
“We are nearing completion of a new labour bill that addresses modern trends like remote work, the gig economy and digital platforms.
“This adaptation will ensure that every worker, regardless of sector or geographical location, gains protection, fair contracts and access to benefits such as secure pensions and clear rights.
“Our Resetting Ghana agenda ensures that whether you work in an office or you work with an app, your rights are protected, your pension is secure, and your dignity is non-negotiable,” President Mahama said.
Revival of SOEs
The President also said the government had worked very hard to revive many state-owned enterprises that were previously in a state of collapse, citing how the Tema Oil Refinery was back in operation.
He also said the government had recapitalised the Agricultural Development Bank and the National Investment Bank.
“The Tema shipyard is bouncing back and many other state-owned enterprises are now running more efficiently,” he said.
He, however, urged the TUC and Organised Labour not to sit back and look on aloof when management and governing boards were “mismanaging their enterprises”.
“Because when these enterprises collapse, it is the workers that suffer the most and so when you see things going wrong, do not sit aloof but point them out and make sure corrections are done,” President Mahama stressed.
