Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Dr Rashid Pelpuo, has assured that the government will clear all outstanding salary arrears owed to newly recruited nurses and other public sector workers before the end of the year. This pledge, made on JoyNews’ PM Express on October 7, follows mounting pressure from the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives, who staged a protest in Accra on October 2. The group demanded the payment of salaries for nearly 7,000 health workers who have been working without pay for close to 10 months.

The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives clarified that while official postings were granted in December 2024 after financial clearance, only about 6,500 of their colleagues received salaries in April 2025, leaving thousands still without remuneration despite repeated appeals. This prolonged non-payment has led to significant hardship and discontent among the affected workers, prompting their public demonstration.

Dr Pelpuo, who is also the Wa Central MP, attributed the current payroll crisis to a decision made by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government. He described it as an inherited problem, blaming what he termed an “irresponsible decision” by the NPP administration to employ 12,000 new workers without securing the necessary funds to pay them. The Minister articulated that at the point of the NPP government's exit, they "imposed on us 12,000 new workers that they did not prepare to pay. They didn’t have the money to pay them but employed them, and then exited without making budgetary provisions." He further noted that the three-month budgets they were supposed to prepare for the incoming administration failed to consider these new hires.

The Minister suggested that this pattern of last-minute recruitments before elections was politically motivated, rather than fiscally responsible. He argued that it was a deliberate attempt to saddle the new administration with financial burdens, implying a strategy to make the successor government appear to fail. "It shows that there had not been preparation," Dr Pelpuo explained, "They had been preparing to contest an election. Everything that will give them a good image from the side of the young person who is unemployed and looking for a job is what they will do." He added that the assumption was that such actions were tied to political decisions, "not necessarily because they wanted to pay them, but just to give them the impression that they, too, are employed."

Dr Pelpuo recalled a similar historical precedent, highlighting that such practices are not new in Ghanaian politics. He referenced the transition from the Kufuor administration, where the Single Spine Salary Structure was "imposed" on the incoming Atta Mills government, causing significant financial struggles. This, he suggested, was "like their DNA to give the incoming government a problem, let them fail, and let the people say that they have failed." He criticized this practice as politically reckless and unfair, particularly to young workers, asserting that outgoing governments should not create new problems for their successors once their mandate has ended.

Despite his strong criticisms of the previous administration's conduct, Dr Pelpuo emphasized that the current government is not focused on complaints but on finding practical solutions. He affirmed the administration's commitment to resolving the issue, stating, "We are looking at the situation where we can satisfy the will of the people who have given us the mandate." He acknowledged the importance of young people being able to start their lives comfortably and work for what they have been employed to do. The Minister reiterated his assurance that the government is doing everything possible to solve this problem, specifically targeting resolution "before, maybe before the end of the year."