8% pay rise: We’ll reopen negotiations if economic conditions worsen – NAGRAT warns

The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Jacob Anaba, says organised labour may return to the negotiating table over the eight per cent base pay increase for public sector workers in 2027 if economic conditions change during the year. He said organised labour had already informed the government and the Minister of Finance that developments affecting workers’ purchasing power could necessitate fresh negotiations on the agreed pay adjustment.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, November 2, Mr Anaba said the agreement must be assessed against the cost of living, particularly rising fuel prices and the cost of food. “We have indicated to the Minister of Finance and Government that if anything happens within the year, we’ll come back and have a new negotiation for whatever we have agreed on because it’s very important,” he said.

His comments suggest that organised labour remains concerned about whether the agreed increase will provide meaningful relief if the prices of essential goods and services continue to rise. Rising costs under scrutiny Mr Anaba cited fuel prices and the cost of preparing everyday meals as examples of the economic pressures facing workers. He questioned the relationship between the cost of maize and the prices consumers pay for kenkey, pepper and fish, arguing that the cost of basic meals continued to place pressure on household budgets.

“If you take a bag of maize today and then the amount that they charge for kenkey, pepper and the fish is not commensurate with the bag of maize. So as a country, we need to do something,” he said. He expressed concern that salary increases could fail to translate into improved living standards if the cost of essential goods continued to rise. “It looks as if somebody is pretending to be giving something and it’s not adding up,” he said.

Calls for collective action To illustrate his concerns about the relationship between workers’ remuneration and productivity, Mr Anaba recalled a remark attributed to former President John Agyekum Kufuor. “I remember His Excellency John Kufuor said something. He said that we are pretending to be paying the worker and the work is also pretending to work,” he said.

Mr Anaba said that the situation was not in the country’s interest and urged stakeholders to work together to address the underlying challenges. “That is not good for us. We need to come together and see how we can resolve this issue,” he said. The comments come after an agreement to increase base pay for public sector workers by eight per cent in 2027.

Mr Anaba’s position is that the agreement should not prevent further engagement if developments during the year undermine the value of workers’ earnings.