National Tripartite Committee discusses minimum wage

The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Nii Armah Ashitey, has urged the National Tripartite Committee (NTC), to be mindful of resource constraints of the government during its deliberations to determine the national minimum wage.

He said government, organised labour and employers should determine the minimum wage, taking into consideration the rate of inflation, current wages, the growth of the economy and the contribution of workers.

Speaking at the meeting of the NTC last Friday to determine the 2014 national minimum wage, Nii Ashitey  explained that the recent uproar on the increases in utility tariffs delayed the negotiations. 

The last time the committee met was in October, 2013.

He also asked the committee  to work together in good faith and should be transparent, frank and objective during the negotiations.

He said the economy of the country and the welfare of  workers and, therefore, asked the committee to consider the ability of employers to pay.

 He said the last time the partners met in Ho, one of the major issues that came up was whether to maintain or change the yearly ritual of the committee's meeting to determine the national minimum wage.

President of the Ghana Employers Association, Mr Terry Darko, said revenue was the key factor that determined a company's ability to pay particular wages.

He asked all Ghanaians to make some sacrifices to enable the country to grow.

The General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Mr Kofi Asamoah, said the current economic challenges had led to high cost of living.

He, therefore, urged the committee to make contributions that would mitigate the suffering of workers.