Ghana to hold referendum on leaders’ pay
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3News
The 2027 budget provides for a referendum on placing the salaries of the president, ministers, MPs and Supreme Court judges under a new Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC), which would replace the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission. The bill, presented to Parliament on Thursday by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson, also provides for legislation in 2027 and a constitutional review to establish the body, according to 3News.
Ghanaians will vote in a referendum to decide whether the remuneration of the president, ministers, MPs and judges of the superior courts should be placed under the authority of the future Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC). The measure is part of the proposed public remuneration reform presented on Thursday 12 November by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson in the 2027 budget, 3News reports.
The government plans four stages in 2027 and 2028. An IPEC bill will first be submitted to Parliament in 2027, followed by a constitutional amendment intended to make the commission a constitutional body. A national referendum will then determine whether holders of positions covered by Article 71 of the Constitution, including the president, ministers, MPs and judges of the superior courts, will be covered by the new system, according to the 2027 budget.
IPEC is to replace the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission. The government believes the Single Spine remuneration system, introduced in 2010, has been weakened by the proliferation of allowances, special salary schemes and exemptions. Four policies are to accompany the transition, covering public-sector remuneration, negotiations, performance-related pay, as well as allowances and benefits, 3News reports.
