Implementation of Labour Laws and Political Instability: A Case Study of the Single Spine Pay Policy in Ghana

Abstract

Political instability in the form of labour unrest has become an alarming issue and a threat to many governments including Ghana. Often poor implementation of labour policies attracts political instability. Workers resort to labour unrest when government fails to address their labour grievances. This paper uses the labour unrest that has been witnessed in Ghana after the adoption of the Single Spine Salary Structure as a case study to address inequality in the pay structure of government employees in examining the relationship between government policy and political instability. Using the workers of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology as research subjects, the study finds that the labour unrest that has been rampant in Ghana after the adoption of the Single Spine Salary Policy was a result of the implementation lapses. Therefore, the study calls on the Fair Wages and Labour Commission to review the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure to make it more efficient.