President Mahama pledges review of Single Spine pay and pensions for teachers

President John Dramani Mahama has renewed his government’s commitment to reviewing the Single Spine Salary Structure to improve pay and working conditions for public sector workers, particularly teachers, amid pressure from organised labour.

The President gave the assurance while addressing delegates at the Ghana National Association of Teachers conference in Accra on January 5, where concerns over salaries, pensions and workplace safety dominated discussions. 

He said the proposed review would form part of a broader reform agenda aimed at ensuring fair compensation and security for workers during and after active service.

Responding to appeals from organised labour, President Mahama said the government was prepared to re-examine both the salary and pension architecture to address persistent dissatisfaction among workers. “Everybody was happy, Tier 2, Tier 3, and it looks like the time has come for us to look at it again, and so again, TUC, as a leader of organized labor, raised it with us, and I told Comrade Joshua and his team that we’re prepared to put together a working team to look at the whole pension reform and come up with some suggestions and see how we can improve it so that everybody is happy and feels secure going into retirement, and a safe and secure working environment is a must,” he said.

The President was reacting to submissions by the President of GNAT, Reverend Isaac Owusu, who urged the government to prioritise a review of the Single Spine Pay Policy before the end of the year, arguing that teachers continued to bear the brunt of inadequate remuneration despite their critical role in national development.

According to Reverend Owusu, a timely review of the policy would significantly improve salaries and conditions of service across the education sector. He said teachers remained overworked and underappreciated, warning that delays in reform could further demoralise the workforce.

“To celebrate these achievements, Your Excellency, we must not shy away from confronting the present challenges that continue to hinder our progress. The dedication of our teachers is unparalleled, yet they remain the backbone of the system and often underappreciated and overburdened,” he said. He added, “We face an ongoing crisis regarding the condition of service, where many teachers struggle with inadequate salaries that do not reflect their hard work and dedication. It is incumbent upon us to address these issues head-on.”

President Mahama acknowledged long-standing frustrations with the Single Spine Salary Structure, describing it as “very crooked” and admitting that it has failed to deliver equity across the public sector.

“Everybody is unhappy with the spine, and so of course TUC raised it with us and asked if we could look at the whole salary structure again. We’re very willing to do that so that we are able to remunerate people better so that they can give off their best in terms of what we are supposed to do,” he said.

On pensions, the President pledged to constitute a working team to review the three-tier pension scheme and make recommendations aimed at improving benefits and guaranteeing security for workers approaching retirement. In a related announcement, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, also confirmed that the government would review the pension framework to enhance the welfare of retirees.

The issue of teacher safety also featured prominently at the conference, with Reverend Owusu declaring zero tolerance for assaults on teachers. He warned that GNAT would not hesitate to shut down schools if attacks on teachers persist. “We are declaring that this year, 2026, we are declaring a zero tolerance for teacher assault and brutality. Should any individual or group attack any teacher in Ghana without cause, we shall invoke the spirit and solidarity of ‘touch one, touch all.’ If we have to close down schools, we will close down schools,” he said.

Backing the stance, President Mahama described assaults on teachers as criminal acts and pledged firm government action. “As for assault on teachers, I am with you one hundred percent. We will deal with it,” he assured delegates.

The President’s assurances come at a time when calls are intensifying for improved salaries, better funding for education and safer working environments, with teacher unions insisting that sustained reforms are critical to restoring confidence in the sector.