The Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Dr. George Smith-Graham, has expressed confidence that inputs from Organised Labour during the two-day stakeholder engagement will help shape a draft Independent Emoluments Commission (IPEC) Bill that enjoys broad stakeholder support.
He described the engagement as the beginning of a broader consultative process aimed at establishing an independent and credible institution to administer public sector compensation in a fair, transparent, and sustainable manner.
“We believe that with all the inputs from the two-day stakeholder engagement with the various labour groups, we will be able to come out with a draft Bill that virtually everybody will be happy with,” Dr Smith-Graham said.
He assured that the FWSC is committed to incorporating the views and concerns raised by Organised Labour into the draft and final legislation, adding that stakeholders will remain part of the process until the Bill is passed by Parliament
The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission Chief Executive said the objective is to establish an Independent Emoluments Commission that will stand the test of time and resist undue influence or manipulation by politicians and other interest groups.
He stressed collective responsibility in building the Independent Public Emoluments Commission and urged Organised Labour to work within the institutional framework rather than bypassing it to seek alternative decisions from political actors.
“We will all work together to build something that we will all be happy with. This is just the first step,” he said.
Policy framework to follow
Dr. Smith-Graham disclosed that after the draft bill is completed, the Commission will hold another stakeholder engagement on the policy framework that will underpin public sector compensation.
He said the process will lead to the development of a National Public Sector Emoluments Policy, which will also be subjected to extensive consultation before both the bill and the policy are submitted to Cabinet.
He explained that once consultations are concluded, the documents will go through the appropriate legislative process—from the committee to the Attorney-General’s Department, then to Cabinet, and subsequently to Parliament.
Productivity to be linked to compensation
The FWSC Chief Executive also announced plans for a National Roundtable Conference on Productivity, noting that productivity must be central to discussions on public sector compensation.
He said Organised Labour had consistently advocated for greater attention to productivity, which had led to the formation of a team to plan the proposed conference.
Linking productivity to compensation, he noted, would create a more objective basis for negotiations between government and workers on salary adjustments.
“If we say we are giving you five per cent or one per cent because you are not productive, you will also agree that, yes, we are not productive. And when you come and demand 100 percent, you can prove to us that, yes, we are productive, and that is why we are demanding 100 percent from the government,” he said.
He added that the various initiatives would ultimately be linked to create a more coherent and sustainable public sector compensation system
Appreciation to stakeholders
Dr Smith-Graham expressed appreciation to Organised Labour, the media, members of the FWSC Board, and all participants who travelled from different parts of the country to take part in the two-day engagement.
He particularly thanked the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, and leaders of the various labour groups for their meaningful contributions to the process.
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