KEEP SSSS DREAM ALIVE (OCT 25, 2010)

FOR some time now the government and its labour partners have been mapping out the necessary strategies to improve the wages and salaries of all public sector workers.
The migration process so far has not been smooth sailing, especially since it was announced that the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) has helped improve the salary structure of policemen in the country.
We recall the protest by personnel of the Ghana Prisons Service more than a month ago over delays in the implementation of the new pay policy in their organisation. At that time reports were rife that other security agencies and public sector workers were lacing their boots to also hit the streets to protest against what they perceived as the slow action on the part of the government to improve their conditions of service.
Notwithstanding various assurances from government officials, many public sector workers are still not sure when it will be their turn to benefit from the SSSS. Indeed, from all indications, the government is desirous of using the SSSS to address the distortions in public sector pay across the board.
Just when the government was grappling with labour agitation from the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), presto, a section of the media went to town with information that the implementation of the SSSS had been deferred until next year.
That piece of news caused considerable concern and alarm among members of labour unions in the country who have been looking forward to the early implementation of the SSSS in their organisations in order to improve their living standards.
It is, however, reassuring that the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, has indicated that the implementation of the SSSS is on course and that the next organisation to migrate onto the structure is the Ghana Armed Forces.
There is a major lesson to be learnt from the information making the rounds in some sections of the media. It is necessary at this stage for the partners involved in the implementation of the SSSS to deepen the channels of communication so that information on the new pay structure can be obtained at all times.
The Daily Graphic is worried that anytime there is a break in communication among the parties, it sends the wrong signals to public sector workers yet to migrate onto the SSSS. We are just coming out of some weeks of industrial action by members of UTAG, while POTAG members are yet to return to the classroom.
The Daily Graphic cautions against any action that will further aggravate the concerns of other public sector workers and create additional turmoil on the labour scene. We are aware of the Herculean task ahead of the government in ensuring that all public sector workers migrate onto the SSSS.
Some of our development partners have already expressed concerns over the implementation of the new wage structure, saying it has the potential to widen the government’s fiscal deficit.
The Daily Graphic believes the new pay structure will impose an additional burden on the economy but it will, in equal measure, improve the salary structure of public sector workers and motivate them to improve productivity.
We urge public sector workers to reciprocate this gesture by the government by working extra hard to improve productivity and help create more opportunities for everybody in the economy.