The Joint Consultative Forum on Wednesday urged the Minister of Finance to mandate the Central Management Board (CMB) to facilitate the adjustment of salaries within the civil and public sectors based on the new minimum wage.

The Forum, which comprises the Civil Servants' Association, Ghana National Association of Teachers, Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana and Ghana Registered Nurses Association, said in a statement in Accra that they expect that the new salaries would be paid in June.

"We regret to say that the inaction on the part of (the) government has created tension among members of the Forum as some of our regional branches have reported cases of threats of industrial action," it said in the statement signed by Mr Smart Chigabatia, Chairman of the Forum.

The statement said at an emergency meeting of leaders of the Forum they "observed with consternation that after the determination of the national minimum wage (of 5,500 cedis a day) as basis for negotiations, the government has not found it necessary to meet the Forum members to discuss salary adjustments for the year 2001".

It said their members are still paid on the 2000 minimum wage adding "we consider this as unfortunate since it is the responsibility of (the) government to take the lead and set the pace for other employers to follow."

The Forum referred to President John Agyekum Kufuor's call for a national debate on salary administration saying that it would want to direct efforts to the implementation of the medium to long-term wages of salary policy.

"The leadership is therefore upset by the discovery that the Minister of Finance has not given the mandate to the Central Management Board to open negotiations for salary adjustment and other conditions of service within the policy."

The Forum said the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS), which the government has not abandoned, seeks among other things to address disparities in salary levels and to put in place a rational method of remuneration in the entire public sector.

"The leadership is disappointed that instead of addressing this issue through negotiations, it has adopted a laissez-faire attitude."

The Forum appealed to its members "to rest assured that everything possible is being done to ensure that their interest is secured."