…Over Salary Adjustments U-Turn
Civilian staff of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have expressed growing concern over a directive that has effectively halted the implementation of revised salary structures, describing the move as unfair and unlawful.
The development follows months of anticipation after the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) completed a comprehensive review aimed at aligning the grades of GAF civilian staff particularly in the health sector with those of comparable roles in the Public Service.
According to affected staff, partial payments reflecting the revised structure—commonly referred to as “jump payments”—were made in March 2026 to some personnel, with assurances that a full-scale migration would be completed in April.
However, the process was abruptly interrupted by what sources describe as a “withdrawal directive,” leading to a reversal of the adjusted salaries in April payments.
“The salaries of those who had already benefited have been reverted to the old base pay without any official communication cancelling the policy,” one staff member said. “This has created anxiety and a sense of injustice among workers.”
The FWSC, in its communication to the Ministry of Finance, had recommended the adoption of a revised grading structure after identifying inconsistencies in the placement of GAF civilian staff under the Single Spine Pay Policy.
In the letter dated January 20, 2026, the Commission stated: “The FWSC therefore by this letter wishes to advise the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to adopt and implement the revised grade structure for the various Health Sector cadres and the revised grade structure for all other Civilian jobs.”
The review, conducted jointly by the FWSC, GAF, and the Finance Ministry, found several discrepancies in job placements and grading, prompting a realignment to ensure parity with similar roles within the Ministry of Health and the broader Public Service.
However, the recent suspension—and reversal—of payments has sparked criticism among staff, who argue that the move may contravene provisions of Ghana’s Salaries and Emoluments framework, which prohibits arbitrary salary reductions.
Workers are now calling on authorities to clarify the status of the directive and to ensure that the approved adjustments are fully implemented without further delay.
As of now, neither the GAF hierarchy nor the Ministry of Finance has issued an official statement addressing the concerns.
