Dr. Rashid Pelpuo
The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, has disclosed that nine months into President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, ministers, including himself, have not received their salaries.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, the Wa Central Member of Parliament (MP) explained that the delay was the result of ongoing reforms to the government’s payroll system, describing it as a “system of renewal” aimed at addressing long-term inefficiencies.
“It’s not that the money isn’t available. We’re trying to resolve the challenges within the entire system so that future payments – for ministers, teachers, and nurses alike – can be made seamlessly,” he explained.
His comments come as newly recruited nurses and midwives continue to protest over salary arrears. The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives staged a demonstration in Accra last Thursday, demanding payment for nearly 7,000 members who claim to have worked for about 10 months without pay.
According to the group, while some 6,500 of their colleagues received their salaries in April 2025 following financial clearance and postings in December 2024, thousands remain unpaid despite repeated appeals to the government.
Dr. Pelpuo acknowledged the widespread frustration but maintained that the issue was systemic and affected multiple categories of public servants.
“Yes, there’s a problem,” he admitted and added, “But it’s not isolated. If ministers get paid and newly employed nurses and teachers don’t, that’s unfair. The solution must be holistic.”
He further explained that Members of Parliament who are not serving as ministers have been receiving their salaries since the parliamentary payroll system is separate and fully functional.
“But those who are both MPs and ministers fall under the executive payroll, which is still being aligned,” he said.
When asked whether other Article 71 officeholders outside the executive arm had been paid, Dr. Pelpuo said he could not confirm.
The minister also denied suggestions that the government’s inability to pay was due to a lack of funds. “This is not a cash flow problem. It’s a structural reform meant to ensure equity and efficiency across all sectors,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, President Mahama recently directed all political appointees to donate one month of their salary to the MahamaCares Medical Trust Fund, a new initiative aimed at supporting the medical needs of vulnerable Ghanaians.
The directive was announced at the launch of the Code of Conduct for Political Appointees at the Jubilee House on May 5, 2025.
“All appointees are to contribute one month’s salary to the MahamaCares Fund,” the President stated. “This is a modest gesture to help those in medical need.”
The directive applies to ministers, deputy ministers, presidential staffers, chief executives of state institutions, board members, and other political appointees under the executive arm.
Additionally, the President warned that any government appointee who failed to declare assets by the extended deadline of May 7, 2025, would forfeit four months of salary – one month as a contribution to the MahamaCares Fund and three months as penalty for missing the earlier March 31 deadline.
In a related revelation, Dr. Pelpuo alleged that the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration left behind about 12,000 newly recruited but unpaid public sector workers, creating an additional burden for the incoming government.
He said the inherited payroll backlog, coupled with the ongoing system overhaul, has complicated efforts to regularise payments to all affected categories of workers.
“The transition came with its own challenges,” he said. “We’re working to fix what we met — not just for political appointees, but for everyone on the government payroll.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu