Business News of Friday, 14 February 2003

Source: gna

No decision on minimum wage

The tripartite committee negotiating a possible new minimum wage could not reach a decision after meeting in Accra on Thursday.

Cecilia Bannerman, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, had promised workers of the Tema District of Labour who presented a petition to her after a four-hour demonstration that on Wednesday that the Committee would come out with a new minimum wage on Thursday.

A source at the Trades Union Congress offices (TUC) in Accra told the GNA that the committee would meet again on Monday to discuss some thorny issues yet to be looked at before reaching an agreement. The source that wished to remain anonymous, said issues being looked at by the three parties, labour, employers and the government, are productivity, the economy and inflation.

He said on the other hand, the parties are mindful not to worsen the plight of workers. He said so far, the TUC is sticking to its figure of 68 per cent increase from 7,150 cedis. Among those present at the meeting were the sector Minister, Joe Donkor, Deputy Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Private Sector Development, Joyce Wereko-Brobbey, Chief Executive of the Chamber of Mines, Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, TUC Boss and Napoleon Kpoh, General Secretary of the Industrial Commercial Workers' Union.