Minority caucus demands answers from organised labour over two-year pay deal
The Minority in Parliament is demanding that organised labour publish its wage proposals and explain why it accepted a two-year pay agreement starting with a 9% increase in 2027.
It says union leaders owe workers a full account of the negotiations, including what they demanded, what they conceded and why they signed.
“The leadership of Organised Labour must publish the proposals it tabled and explain to its members the basis on which it accepted a two-year deal opening at a mere 9%.”
The demand was contained in a statement issued on Friday. It was signed by Mavis Nkansah Boadu, MP and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions.
According to the statement, the agreement was finalised on October 28, 2026. It provides an 8% base pay increase and a 1% increase in conditions of service in 2027, followed by a 10% remuneration increase in 2028.
The Minority questioned whose interests union leaders represented. It said they had publicly promised, just two weeks earlier, to push strongly for a significant increase in 2027 base pay.
“They have instead put their signatures to 9%, and gone further to bind workers to a two-year framework that extends into 2028.”
The caucus said the agreement repeated the outcome of the previous negotiations. It recalled that union leaders had described the 9% increase for 2026 as “woefully inadequate”, but accepted it and appealed for calm.
It also cited earlier complaints that some labour bodies had been excluded from negotiations.
The Minority said feedback from union members showed deep disappointment with both the government and their representatives.
“Workers are asking, and rightly so, whether their leaders went to the table to defend their wages or to deliver industrial peace for Government.”
Beyond accountability, the caucus demanded an immediate review of the remuneration agreement. It called for the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee to reconvene and negotiate a living wage.
The Minority argued that rising household costs were eroding salary gains. It cited a cumulative increase in electricity tariffs since the start of 2025 of roughly 29%, against cumulative wage adjustments of about 20%.
It also rejected using the planned transition from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to the Independent Public Emoluments Commission to justify the two-year framework.
The caucus urged union members to demand answers from their leaders as it pressed for wages that reflect workers’ living costs.
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