GJA pushes for bill to establish minimum wage for journalists

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is seeking to lay a private member's bill before parliament that would consider improving the economic and working conditions of journalists.

President of the GJA, Albert Dwumfour, says the national leadership of the association is collaborating with parliament to sponsor a bill that would constitutionally establish a basic minimum wage for both private and state-owned media.

Speaking at the Ashanti Media Excellence Award in Kumasi, Mr. Dwumfour noted that engagements are progressing steadily to consider among others ways to improve the welfare and safety of media practitioners.

“We’ve also engaged the Speaker of Parliament and leadership of parliament to collaborate with them to sponsor a private member bill on the economic conditions of journalists in this country. We need a bill that can ensure that at least journalists will have a basic minimum wage and also to see how we can improve conditions of journalists. This would be imposed on not only state-owned media but all other private media owners,” he said.

Mr. Dwumfuor bemoaned the service conditions of journalists in Ghana, insisting that poor emoluments, job insecurity and insufficient working tools could compromise the quality of journalism.

He stressed that a significant number of journalists who are economically vulnerable face a more challenging task of resisting inducement or withstanding external pressure.

“Improving working conditions is not merely a welfare issue, but also a matter of professional integrity and media independence and even a threat to national security,” he added.

He says a demand for excellence and professionalism must be backed by decent remuneration and working conditions.

“We cannot continue to demand excellence from journalists while ignoring the economic realities confronting many of them. Poor remuneration, job insecurity, inadequate working tools, limited opportunities for professional development and difficult working conditions can undermine quality of journalism and expose practitioners to undue pressure,” he said.

Mr. Dwumfour disclosed that his administration has initiated processes aimed at engaging relevant stakeholders on ways to improve journalists’ welfare and working conditions.

“This requires constructive dialogue with media owners, employers, regulators, government institutions, and other partners. The GJA will continue to improve the conditions while encouraging journalists to demonstrate professionalism, responsibility, and commitment to excellence,” he said.