The Minister of Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has inaugurated a new office complex for the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

The ceremony, held on Friday, November 15, 2024, marked a significant milestone in the government's efforts to enhancing the working conditions and efficiency of the commission.

The minister emphasised the importance of decent work and fair compensation, stating, "The government is committed to creating an enabling environment for workers to thrive and improve productivity.”

He said the new facility was envisioned by President Nana Akufo-Addo with an aim of providing the commission with a befitting office environment to enhance service delivery.

"I am confident that the new edifice will give you the self-satisfaction you need to work in an efficient and effective manner," he said to the gathering, which included mostly workers of the commission.

"You can have the best of office buildings, but if the service is poor, it means nothing. I want to entreat staff to justify why the state invested in the facility," he charged.

He commended the management of the commission for their supervision in ensuring the successful completion of the building.

Mr Baffour charged the management of the commission to develop a good maintenance culture for the facility and advised them to allocate funds for maintaining the edifice.

He said the government presented 16 pickup vehicles to the Labour Department to enhance their operations and also commissioned 16 Public Employment Centres.

He stressed that a new office building for the ministry had been completed and was located opposite the Accra Sports Stadium.

Features

The New Office Complex of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission features a state-of-the-art infrastructure to support the commission's operations. Apart from housing the commission's headquarters, it also has training facilities.

The four-story facility is fitted with a boardroom office, offices for directors and the various units of the commision, a negotiation room, and an ICT office.

It, also, has a 200-seat auditorium for conference activities, board meeting room, kitchen and parking space for vehicles.

It was fully sponsored by the government and constructed by a private construction company, First Beacon Architectural Limited.

Gratitude

The Chief Executive of the FWSC, Ing Benjamin Arthur expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Ministry of Employment Labour Relations and Pensions, and the Ministry of Finance for the support.

Mr Arthur particularly commended Mr Ignatius Bafour Awuah for his leadership in facilitating the completion of the project.

"This new office complex is a testament to the government's commitment to promoting fair wages and salaries in Ghana. We are grateful for this investment, which will enable us to better serve our stakeholders," he said.

"We are fortunate to have this facility. We know other agencies under the ministry have not been fortunate to get such infrastructure, and we will protect and use it for the benefit of all," he noted.

The contractor of First Beacon Architectural Limited, Reverend Richmond Okrah said the building took almost two years to complete.

He said his company worked diligently to ensure the project was completed within the scheduled time frame.