Dr. George Smith-Graham
The Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Dr. George Smith-Graham, has said the proposed Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC) will prioritise fairness and equity in determining public sector compensation rather than focus on salary increases.
Speaking on the sidelines of a FWSC media training workshop in Accra, he said the proposed reforms is aimed at ensuring that workers received compensation commensurate with their responsibilities, without deliberately favouring particular groups over others.
He said, “We have always said that the objective of our work is not increases in salaries. The objective in our work is to ensure that there is fairness and equity. We cannot assure everybody that there will be astronomical increases in their salaries.
“But in terms of the fairness and equity in the compensation management, that is exactly what we are going to do. We will not deliberately target a particular group and treat them separately from the others. That is not to say that everybody is going to receive the same salary,” he stated.
He stated that although the new arrangement under the proposed Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC) would seek to ensure equitable compensation, fairness and equity does not mean all public sector workers would receive the same salaries, but each worker would be remunerated according to what they deserved.
The Commission said the proposed establishment of IPEC, would not completely do away with the existing public sector compensation system but would focus on improving its effectiveness and draw lessons from the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy.
Dr. Graham, however, noted that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission would continue to engage stakeholders and broaden consultations to various groups including article 71 office holders on the proposed Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC) until the necessary legislative and constitutional requirements had been completed.
The Commission also mentioned plans to adopt a more proactive approach to labour relations by strengthening the monitoring of conditions of service in public institutions.
It said it was considering renaming its directorate responsible for grievances and negotiations as the ‘Negotiations and Industrial Relations Directorate’ to reflect its expanded responsibilities adding that it will continue to monitor conditions of service agreed upon by institutions and ensure that they were implemented, rather than waiting for workers to complain before the commission intervenes.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah