Minority Leader Rejects 10% Pay Increase for Public Sector, Calls it ‘Paltry’

Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has strongly criticized the government’s decision to grant public sector workers a 10% increase in base pay for 2025.

In a session in Parliament on February 21, Afenyo-Markin described the salary adjustment as “paltry” and insufficient to meet the needs of the country’s workers.

The agreement, which was concluded by the Tripartite Committee, sets the public sector pay rise for this year at 10%.

However, Afenyo-Markin pointed out that this increase was far lower than what was offered during the previous administration.

He highlighted that in 2017, the Akufo-Addo administration approved a 12.5% increase, and in subsequent years, increments ranged from 11% to as high as 30% in 2023.

Afenyo-Markin expressed his disappointment, stating that the ordinary Ghanaian worker had higher expectations.

He argued that the 10% raise did not adequately reflect the economic challenges faced by workers, calling for a more substantial adjustment.

He urged that the government, under President Mahama, should either match or improve upon the previous increments, given the current economic context.

“The 10% is unacceptable,” Afenyo-Markin declared on the floor of Parliament.

“The ordinary Ghanaian worker has a higher expectation. In this reset economy, they expect better treatment from the government.”

In response, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga defended the government’s position, explaining that the 10% increase was a reflection of the difficult economic situation inherited from the previous administration.

Ayariga argued that organized labor understood the economic challenges and had willingly accepted the 10% increase as a vote of confidence in the new government.

He also emphasized that workers’ leaders believed President Mahama would be more careful with public resources, contrasting this with previous administrations’ spending habits.

“Accepting 10% as opposed to 25% or 12% is a vote of confidence,” Ayariga stated, underscoring that the union leaders’ decision was an endorsement of the government’s fiscal responsibility.

The debate between the Minority and Majority leaders continues to stir discussions across the country, with many public sector workers watching closely to see whether the government will adjust its stance.