-As Government Develops Cold Feet To Increase Wages of Public Workers.
President Akufo Addo has just approved a new pay package for Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah to be taking home as his monthly base salary of GHC 35,918. The increment affects only judges on the Supreme, Appeals, and High Courts.
The Chief Justice’s salary will be about GHC 3,000 more than what he was earning in 2020 (GHC 32,242) and over GHC 10,000 more than his salary in 2017. The other judges have also seen similar increases, with the least from the High Court is earning GHC 29,471 monthly.
These salaries are exclusive of allowances and perks which often equals salaries of such public servants.
Whatsup New has intercepted an April 9, 2021 letter with reference SCR 91A from the Office of the Judicial Secretariat and addressed to Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta. In the letter, the Judicial Secretary confirmed that the President has improved the new salaries.
In the letter, the Judicial Secretary wrote: “His Lordship the Chief Justice has been notified by the Chief of Staff of the Office of the President that, in pursuance of Article 71(I) of the 1992 Constitution, His Excellency the President has upon further consideration of the recommendation of the Report of the President Committee on Emoluments (2017-2021)…”
Meanwhile, as the Akufo Addo administration eagerly increase the salaries of judges, negotiations to increase salaries of other public sector workers have virtually stalled at the government haggles with them, saying it was constrained by COVID-related economic downturn.
The Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee (PSJSNC) which consists of representatives of the TUC (Ghana), the Security Service and other Labour Unions operating within the Public Sector is negotiating the Base Pay for 2021 and 2022.
Labour entered this negotiation with a proposal for a 15% increment in 2021 and another 15% for 2022. But the government presented a counter-offer of 4% increment 2021 and 6% wage increment in 2022
However, as at the last meeting to negotiate new wages, Monday 28th June, 2021 the government has hardly shown interest in meeting the wage demands, sources tell Whatsup News.
Critics surmise that the haste to which the President is increasing wages of judges in the higher courts is possibly to reinforce the alleged rosy relationship the Akufo Addo administration and the higher echelon of the judiciary maintains.