By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, Sept. 25, GNA- The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has assured State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) that the proposed Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC) will not impose a uniform salary structure on them.
Dr George Smith-Graham, the Chief Executive Officer of the FWSC, said the proposed framework would instead take into account the financial position, size, complexity, productivity, market conditions and capacity of individual enterprises when determining remuneration.
He said this at a stakeholder engagement with heads and representatives of SOEs in Accra on Friday to solicit their views on the proposed IPEC Bill.
The engagement formed part of consultations on the transition of the FWSC into IPEC, which is expected to replace the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission Act, 2007, and provide a national framework for public sector compensation.
Dr Smith-Graham said SOEs that generated their own revenues and operated as commercial entities would be treated differently from institutions operating within the general public service.
He said the FWSC already used audited financial statements and a financial model to assess the capacity of such enterprises to pay improved remuneration without undermining their operations.
“The distinction will need to be understood very clearly,” he said, adding that, the proposed system would ensure that enterprises could reward workers while retaining sufficient resources for operations and, where applicable, dividends to government.
The clarification followed concerns from representatives of SOEs about whether IPEC could negatively affect their salaries, particularly for enterprises that generated their own revenues and paid their workers without government subvention.
Dr Smith-Graham cited the Gaming Commission as an example of an institution that had been weaned off government subvention and the central salary structure and had subsequently improved its revenue generation and workers’ remuneration.
He said the IPEC would also not take away the governance responsibilities of boards of SOEs, particularly their role in proposing remuneration for chief executives, senior managers and other employees.
“Boards will continue to develop and submit remuneration proposals to IPEC,” he said, explaining that the change would be in the governance framework within which such proposals were considered.
“Equity does not mean everybody must be paid the same. Equity means that differences in remuneration should have an objective, transparent and defensible basis,” he added.
Dr Smith-Graham said IPEC would work closely with the State Interests and Governance Authority, with boards providing remuneration proposals, SIGA providing corporate governance and financial information, and IPEC providing specialised compensation oversight.
He said the proposed commission was not being established solely to deal with Article 71 officeholders, explaining that the transition would involve establishing IPEC as a constitutional body, while any changes concerning Article 71 would require a national referendum.
Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Minister for Labour, Employment and Job Creation, urged SOEs to contribute to the consultation to help develop a system suited to Ghana’s circumstances.
He said the government supported the transition and wanted IPEC to provide a sustainable framework capable of supporting SOEs to attract and retain talent while ensuring accountability in the use of public resources.
Mr Agyekum said the government was not seeking to take away the powers of boards but wanted stakeholders to contribute to a reform that could “stand the test of tomorrow.”
GNA
Reporter: Edward Acquah
Pictures attached
26 Sept 2026