Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Abraham Koomson, Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), has refuted criticisms from Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin regarding the government’s recent 10% salary increment for public sector workers.
Koomson asserts that Afenyo-Markin’s remarks reflect a misunderstanding of the legal framework governing public sector salary negotiations.
In a parliamentary session on February 21, 2025, Afenyo-Markin labelled the 10% salary increase as insufficient, comparing it unfavourably to previous increments ranging from 11% to 30% between 2017 and 2024.
He suggested that the current adjustment falls short of workers’ expectations.
Koomson emphasized that public sector salary negotiations are conducted within the confines of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
He highlighted Section 19 of the Act, which mandates that salary and compensation negotiations be concluded by the end of April each fiscal year to facilitate their inclusion in the subsequent year’s budget.
Koomson noted that these negotiations are not arbitrary but are structured processes defined by law.
Koomson further criticized the previous administration for its failure to initiate salary negotiations in 2024, resulting in no salary adjustments for that year.
He questioned the basis of Afenyo-Markin’s critique, given the prior government’s oversight in this area.
Urging the Minority Leader to approach his parliamentary duties with greater diligence, Koomson stated “The Minority Leader must be serious in Parliament and focus on his core duties rather than making baseless claims about salary increments without proper research.”
He made these assertions while responding to the Minority leader’s claims during an interview on Ahotor FM’s “Yepe Ahunu” show.
