Bernard Adjei, the General Secretary of the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU), has said Public sector workers are not being paid realistic salaries.
He argued that the eight per cent increase in base pay for public sector workers in 2027 will not address the fundamental problem of unrealistic salaries in the public service.
According to Bernard Adjei, the union’s priority was to secure pay levels that reflected the needs and circumstances of workers.
He disclosed that for workers whose existing earnings remained inadequate, the proposed increase would not make salaries realistic.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, November 2, Bernard Adjei stated, “What we are actually fighting for our members is that we are paid realistic salaries. It is our contention and our position that the public sector worker is not being paid realistic salaries. That is the major point”.
When asked whether the adjustment would address the union’s concerns, he replied saying: “No, it doesn’t.”
Meanwhile, the NPP Minority in Parliament has rejected the 9 per cent salary increase agreed for public sector workers in 2027.
According to the Minority, the agreement is an insult to workers whose incomes are struggling to keep pace with rising utility bills, transport fares, rent and other household expenses.
They argued that the salary adjustments do not adequately reflect the rising cost of living, particularly the cumulative increases in electricity and water tariffs, transport fares, rent and other essential household expenses.
The Minority Caucus also questioned the role of Organised Labour in the negotiations, accusing union leaders of accepting an inadequate deal despite earlier assurances that they would push for a more substantial increase in workers’ base pay.
In a statement signed by its Ranking Member, Mavis Nkansah Boadu, and issued on October 30, 2026, parts of the statement stated, “The Minority Caucus on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions in Parliament has received with utter shock and dismay the details of the newly signed Multi-Year Public Service Remuneration Agreement for 2027 and 2028, finalised on October 28, 2026.
To offer Ghanaian public sector workers a meagre 9% total remuneration increase for 2027 (8% base pay and 1% conditions of service) and 10% for 2028 is nothing short of an insult. This miserly adjustment is a direct assault on the dignity of workers, especially when juxtaposed with the compounding burden of utility tariff increases imposed on citizens across 2025 and 2026.
While public sector workers are shackled with sub-inflationary salary increments, following 10% in 2025 and 9% in 2026, the cost of living has skyrocketed under relentless compounding adjustments administered by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC)”.
The NPP Minority also raised some key concerns, saying, “Disregard for Cost of Living: While Ghanaian workers grapple with skyrocketing electricity bills, transport fares, and essential goods, the government hides behind optimistic inflation projections of 8% ± 2% to justify impoverishing public sector employees.
Bad Faith in Negotiations: Forcing a restrictive two-year framework under the guise of providing predictability for the transition of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to the Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC) is a clear tactic to tie the hands of workers. Economic Hypocrisy: Expecting workers to tighten their belts with a 9% pay deal while utility tariffs compound quarterly is economic wickedness that the Minority Caucus will fiercely resist”.
They further demanded an immediate reconvening of the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee (PSJSNC) to establish what it describes as a living wage that takes into account the actual cost of living.
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