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Private Sector asked for full
participation in work of Commission
Accra, Jan 11, GNA – Private Sector groups have requested
their full participation in the deliberations of the
proposed Fair Wages Commission, a body that is to be set up
by the Government, to administer salaries across the public
sector.
Briefing the media after a Private Sector roundtable on the
2007 Budget, the group made up of the Association of Ghana
Industries (AGI); Ghana Employers’ Association; Ghana
Chamber of Mines; Ghana National Chamber of Commerce
and Industry and the Federation of Ghanaian Exporters said
their immediate inputs in the work of the Commission was
necessary to ensure that any outcome was fair to all
stakeholders.
The Government announced the setting up of a Fair Wages
Commission in the 2007 Budget to undertake job evaluation;
analyse existing data and job content reviews along with
market surveys and other research needed to determine the
relative worth of all Public Sector positions.
Consequently, a single pay spine would be implemented to
cover all positions in the Public Sector making it easier to
perform job evaluations and determine the relative worth of
every Public sector position.
The result of the work of the Fair Wages Commission would
take effect from the 2008 Budget.
Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, President of AGI, said it was important
that the Private Sector participated fully in the
discussions of the Commission since decisions it took had
implications for companies in the Sector.
“We want to get on board at the initial stages to help to
drive the discussions and ensure that decisions reached work
in the interest of all,” he said.
Mr Oteng-Gyasi said since the success of the Private Sector
depended on effective partnership with the Public Sector all
efforts to enhance the performance in the Sector was
welcomed.
Other issues of concern to the Private Sector were the
current energy crisis in the country, which Mr Oteng-Gyasi
said must be tackled immediately in order not to erode the
economic gains so far achieved.
As a first step the Government must allow Private Sector
participation in energy generation and distribution to break
the over-reliance on the Volta River Authority and the
Electricity Company of Ghana.
Mr Oteng-Gyasi urged the Government to ban the use of
incandescent lamps in homes and in offices because of its
high energy consumption rate and to institute a programme to
change all such lamps to CFL.
This, he said, could be done by
selling the CFL bulbs at the same price as incandescent
lamps.
Mr Charles Coffie, President of Ghana Employer Association,
said there was the need to take a second look at the
investment code and reserve certain areas for
Ghanaians.
“We are really not against competition but in a liberalized
economy sectors that foreigners participate in should be
those that add value to products,” he said.
Mr Coffie welcomed the domestic content bill and called for
incentives to local industries that used local raw materials
up to 50 per cent.
He said the Private Sector was prepared for dialogue on the
bill.
The roundtable attended by the
Minister of Finance, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu agreed to a
monthly meeting to deal with issues of mutual concern.
GNA
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