Tripartite Committee to reconvene before next week

The National Tripartite Committee is expected to reconvene by the end of this week to begin negotiations on the National Daily Minimum Wage (NDMW) for 2014.

The reconvening of the committee, which is obligated by the Labour Act, is also in response to workers’ demands, particularly following increases in utility tariffs and inflation.

Officials of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) who did not want to be named said members of the NTC, which is chaired by the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Nii Armah Ashietey, would soon meet.

Increment

Meanwhile, some workers have indicated that they expect a doubling of the 2013 minimum wage of GH¢5.24 this year.

Mr Elias Togbor, a civil servant, said with fuel price hikes, increases of  78.9 per cent in electricity  and  about 59.18 per cent in water  tariffs, coupled with inflation of about 13.8 per cent, it was only fair for the NDMW to be pegged at GH¢10 or more.

Cosmetic NDMW

The General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Mr Solomon Kotei, agreed with the sentiments expressed.

He, nonetheless, contended that the amount would be too little for workers.

He pointed out that a minimum wage earner with a wife and a child who lived in a compound house and had to pay about GH¢20 for utilities would find it difficult to live on GH¢10 a day. 

He said it was time for the 'cosmetic NDMW' to cease and for workers to be given wages that reflected the cost of living.

NDMW, a safety net

The Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, who is a member of the NTC, however, explained that several issues came into play in deciding the NDMW.

He said the NDMW was a safety net, for which reason no employee had to be paid below it, adding that the NDMW had legal backing and was bounding on all employers.

Mr Asamoah said a sub-committee of the NTC had worked on all the factors that determined the NDMW and that consultations among the various constituents had begun, but he would not divulge how much labour was asking for.

Although he could not be specific either on when the negotiations would be concluded, he said because the NDMW did not take retrospective effect, it was in the interest of workers for it to be concluded soon, a fact  the NTC was mindful of.