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President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to review the Single Spine Salary Structure and Ghana’s pensions system to address persistent concerns raised by public sector workers.
The President made the pledge while opening the 54th National Delegate Congress and Seventh Quadrennial Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers in Accra on Monday, January 5, 2026.
The conference was held under the theme, “Education and Development: The Ghana Education Service at 50: Reflecting, Reviewing, Revising, and Growing the Profession and the Unions.”
President Mahama said the current Single Spine Salary Structure has become unsatisfactory and no longer adequately serves the interests of workers, despite its original intent to promote fairness and transparency in public sector pay.
He explained that the policy was introduced under the Kufuor administration, but negotiations were not completed before the change of government in 2009. According to him, organised labour, led by the Trades Union Congress, rejected the initial arrangement and opted to renegotiate with the incoming administration.
The President noted that the renegotiations produced a workable, though imperfect, salary structure, which allowed government to clear accumulated arrears before leaving office in 2016. However, he said further distortions have since emerged, making the system increasingly problematic.
President Mahama revealed that organised labour has formally requested a comprehensive review of the salary structure, a request the government is ready to honour to ensure improved remuneration and enhanced worker motivation and productivity.
Touching on pensions, he recalled the introduction of reforms that established the Tier 2 and Tier 3 pension schemes, which were initially well received. However, he said current challenges indicate the need for another review.
He disclosed that following discussions with the Trades Union Congress, the government is prepared to set up a working team to examine the pensions system and recommend measures to improve retirement security for workers.
In his welcome address, GNAT National President, Reverend Isaac Owusu, called for an immediate review of the Single Spine pay policy within the year to align with the government’s Resetting Agenda. He stressed that improved salaries and benefits are essential to recognising teachers’ contributions to national development and improving learning outcomes.
