Employment and Labour Relations Minister Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo has attributed the persistent salary delays affecting thousands of nurses, teachers, and junior doctors to the previous administration, citing poor recruitment practices and fiscal mismanagement under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government. His remarks follow recent street demonstrations by health and education workers, some of whom claim to have gone up to 10 months without pay.
The Junior Doctors’ Association has also warned it may withdraw its services if the arrears are not settled soon. Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Dr. Pelpuo described the situation as “unfair,” but emphasised that it was an inherited problem. “The situation is currently unfair, but it is a culmination of events that took place in the last regime before the current regime took over,” he stated.
“People were engaged to work without due process. For you to work and be paid, you need clearance to show that there is money in the account and that your employment has been approved. That didn’t happen in this respect.”
According to the minister, the former government recruited over 12,000 people into the public sector after losing the 2024 elections, even though there was no financial provision to pay their salaries.
“More than 12,000 people were recruited after the previous administration had already lost the elections. Where exactly did they expect the money to come from?” he asked. He explained that while there is a fiscal basket that accounts for all expenditures, no provision was made to cover the salaries of these workers.
Dr. Pelpuo further disclosed that the three-month budget handed over to the Mahama administration also failed to include allocations for the unpaid staff, thereby worsening the financial burden on the current government.
Despite the challenges, he assured that the government was committed to resolving the issue. We are taking it up very seriously, and I can assure the nurses, teachers, and junior doctors who are caught up in the process that we are going to respond to them before the end of the year,” he stated.
Source: William Narh
