The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has welcomed President John Dramani Mahama’s pledge to review the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), describing the current system as riddled with unfair disparities.
At his recent media engagement on Wednesday, September 10, President Mahama admitted that the SSSS, introduced in 2010 to harmonise public sector salaries, has fallen short of its goal of fairness and pledged a comprehensive review.
Reacting to the announcement, GNAT General Secretary Thomas Musah said the review was long overdue.
“How can you go to a university, do the same programme—meaning they have the same value—and yet, on the spine, the moment they come out, one is placed on level 18 and the other on 16? How do you explain this? Since we are in the nation and working together, we need systems that reward people adequately and fairly,” he stated on Thursday, September 11.
While the system helped reduce some disparities and labour unrest, it also led to a ballooning public wage bill and has repeatedly come under pressure from unions demanding reforms.
