‘Some people are suffering, GH¢700 a month is unjustifiable’ — NAGRAT president

The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Jacob Anaba, has described the monthly earnings of some public sector workers as unjustifiable, saying members of his association are struggling to make ends meet despite the annual salary adjustments.

He said workers earning about GH¢700 a month needed substantially higher increases than the eight per cent adjustment agreed for public sector employees in 2027, arguing that a uniform percentage increase did not address the wide disparities in earnings.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, November 2, Mr Anaba said some workers would remain financially distressed even if their salaries were doubled.

“Some of our members are suffering. Those who are taking 700 cedis at the end of the month, it is unjustifiable,” he said.

He proposed a salary adjustment system based on a range, with minimum and maximum base pay levels, to ensure that lower-paid workers received increases that reflected their needs.

“I will suggest that the percentage shouldn't be a static one. It should be a range,” he said.

Calls for better pay for lowest-paid workers

Mr Anaba said the existing approach to annual base pay adjustments did not adequately account for the different income levels across the public sector.

He cited workers earning about GH¢700 monthly and contrasted their circumstances with those of employees taking home more than GH¢15,000.

“As I speak to you, some people take 700 cedis at the end of the month. If you give them 100%, they don't even have any money to go home with. So we should have a minimum base pay and a maximum base pay,” he said.

He argued that employees earning higher salaries did not need the same percentage increase as those at the bottom of the pay scale.

“Some people are taking beyond 15,000 cedis at the end of the month; those people do not need this type of base pay we have given. Somebody is taking 700 cedis; that person needs more than 100% as a base pay,” he said.

He said the disparities were too wide and called for a pay system that would improve the earnings of workers at the lower end of the salary scale.

“So we have to ensure that all those who are down there also come up a bit so that they can also meet their economic daily activity that they go through,” he said.

Questions fairness of salary adjustments

The NAGRAT president also questioned whether the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission was adequately addressing the concerns of all categories of public sector workers.

He said the experiences of some low-paid employees raised questions about the fairness of the existing remuneration arrangements.

“You know, it is called Fair Wages and Salary Commission. They are not fair to some categories of workers,” he said.

His comments come after the government and organised labour agreed on an eight per cent increase in base pay for public sector workers in 2027.

Mr Anaba's concerns centre on the impact of applying a uniform percentage adjustment across a workforce with significant differences in earnings. He wants greater consideration given to workers whose monthly income, he says, is insufficient to meet their basic needs.