The National Lottery Authority (NLA) Board and Management have urged members of the Authority’s local staff union to return to work following renewed engagements aimed at resolving salary dispute and changes to employees income tax adjustments.
The latest position follows a sit-down strike and demonstration by NLA staff on Monday, August 24, over disagreement concerning the salary increment for 2026 and reductions in workers’ net pay after an income tax anomaly was corrected. In a statement issued on Monday, August 24, the NLA said it had reached a consensus with the local union and other stakeholders to resolve the outstanding issues.
The statement said the meeting brought together the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment Relations, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo; Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) Chief Executive Officer Dr George Smith Graham; NLA Board Chairman Frederick Amissah; NLA Director-General Mohammed Abdul-Salam; and executives of the local union led by the national executives of the Financial, Business and Services Employees Union (FBSEU).
“The Board and Management wish to inform the Local Union, Staff and the Public that, following a meeting with the Minister for Labor, Jobs and Employment Relations… and the executives of the local union led by the national executives of the Financial, Business and Services Employees Union (FBSEU), it has reached consensus to resolve all outstanding issues,” the statement said.
Management stated that the FWSC is now amenable to its proposal for a 12% salary increase, rather than the 8% recommendation it had initially made. It explained that the dispute over the increment for 2026 began when the local union demanded a 17% increase.
The NLA said its 12% offer was influenced by financial constraints, including the Authority’s decision to settle more than GH¢5 million in historical income tax liabilities owed to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on behalf of staff. Management said the tax arrears covered salaries between 2016 and 2022 and resulted from an incorrect application of income tax.
It added that the arrangement with the GRA was intended to settle the arrears at no cost to staff while correcting the tax treatment going forward. However, it said the adjustment led to reductions in employees’ net take-home pay, which prompted the union to press for a higher salary increase to cushion the impact.
The FWSC had earlier advised the NLA to grant an 8% salary increase based on the Authority’s financial capacity. Management subsequently proposed 12%, while the union maintained its demand for 17%.
The NLA further stated that the renewed discussions would address gaps created by the changes to the income tax composition of staff salaries. Management therefore appealed to staff to suspend industrial action and resume their duties while the issues are resolved, adding that industrial harmony must be ensured.
The latest statement comes a day after the union commenced its sit-down strike and demonstration following declaring a deadlock in negotiations with management. The union had also referred the dispute to the National Labor Commission (NLC) after rejecting the 12% offer.
The NLA reiterated that it remains committed to resolving the dispute and maintaining industrial harmony while continuing to fulfill its mandate of generating revenue for national development.
