Ntim Fordjour Dismisses Seth Terkper's Defense of President Mahama's 10% Pay Increase for Public Sector Workers

Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the Member of Parliament for Assin South and former Deputy Minister of Education, has strongly criticized Seth Terkper, a senior presidential advisor on economic affairs, for his defense of the government’s recent decision to grant a 10% salary increase to public sector workers. This critique emerged after Terkper attempted to justify the wage hike in a post on X, which quickly sparked a public disagreement between the two figures.

In his post, Terkper sought to explain the pay raise by linking it to inflationary trends. He argued, “When inflation rises to a high 50% plus, a 20% plus wage rise is inevitable. When you ‘half’ inflation to about 20% plus and claim to have stabilized the economy for JM, it is not consistent to rubbish a 10% raise WITH A PROMISE.” In his reasoning, Terkper aimed to support President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, especially in light of criticisms regarding the adequacy of the recent pay increase.

However, Ntim Fordjour quickly rejected Terkper’s defense, calling it both misleading and inaccurate. Responding directly to Terkper’s comments on X, the Assin South MP pointed out several flaws in the economic argument being made. He noted, “By your misconceived analysis of pay rise equating to half of inflation, in 2023, workers would have been given a paltry 15% by JM (around half of 38.11% inflation recorded) instead of the whopping 30% pay hikes workers enjoyed under Akufo-Addo.”

Ntim Fordjour further criticized Terkper’s claim about the inflation rate, stating that the actual inflation rate for 2023 was 38.11%, not the “50% plus” figure Terkper had cited. According to Ntim Fordjour, this inaccurate representation of inflation skewed the argument and misled the public about the real economic situation.

In his rebuttal, Ntim Fordjour took the opportunity to draw comparisons between the wage policies of the Mahama administration and those of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration under Nana Akufo-Addo. He highlighted the contrasting approaches to salary increases, pointing to the significant disparity in the pay hikes offered to public sector workers by the two administrations. Under Akufo-Addo’s leadership in 2024, despite an inflation rate of 23.8%, public sector employees received a 23% salary increase from January to June, followed by a 25% increase from July to December. Fordjour pointed out that had Terkper’s reasoning been applied, public sector workers would have only received a 12% raise under Mahama’s leadership. He argued, “JDMahama would have thought workers deserved only 12% (half of what NPP offered). Workers deserve better than the paltry 10% JM gave them.”

The Member of Parliament for Assin South also questioned the apparent inconsistency in the labor unions’ responses to salary increases under both administrations. Earlier, in a post on February 20, 2025, Ntim Fordjour noted that while organized labor had strongly opposed the 25% salary increment offered by the Akufo-Addo administration in 2024, some unions had shown a more accepting attitude towards Mahama’s much smaller 10% increase. He accused some unions of pursuing a “stomach agenda,” suggesting that political bias, rather than genuine economic need, influenced their stance on the issue.

In the same post, Ntim Fordjour provided a detailed comparison of salary increases offered by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from 2017 to 2024. The chart emphasized that in 2024, despite significant economic challenges, Akufo-Addo’s government offered a 25% pay increase. Organized labor, however, responded with strong opposition, even threatening strike action, arguing that the wage hike was insufficient given the ongoing economic difficulties.

In contrast, when President Mahama announced his government’s decision to implement a 10% pay increase for public sector workers in 2025, it was met with less resistance from some sections of organized labor. Ntim Fordjour highlighted this shift in attitude, noting that certain unions had defended the modest raise as “reasonably acceptable.”

Ntim Fordjour’s critique of Seth Terkper’s defense of the 10% pay increase reveals significant differences in the economic approaches of the Mahama and Akufo-Addo administrations. By highlighting the disparity in salary increases, Fordjour calls for a more consistent and comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of public sector workers. The debate continues to unfold, with labor unions, political figures, and the public closely watching the evolving situation and the broader implications of these wage policies.