GAWU backs cocoa sector reforms but rejects unilateral salary cuts at COCOBOD

The General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) has expressed support for government-led reforms aimed at stabilising Ghana’s cocoa sector but strongly opposed plans to unilaterally reduce salaries of senior and management staff at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (18 February), the union’s Deputy General Secretary, Paschal Ajongba Kaba said measures announced by the Ministry of Finance to address COCOBOD’s financial strain could help restore stability and boost local value addition.

The reforms include transferring portions of the board’s legacy debts to the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Ghana, as well as plans to channel more cocoa beans to domestic processors and introduce automatic price adjustments tied to global market trends.

Kaba said the union supports initiatives that protect jobs and strengthen the sector’s long-term viability but warned that salary reductions imposed without consultation would violate established labour processes.

“Salaries are negotiated conditions of service,” he said. “If management believes there is the need for a review, they must return to the negotiation table. You cannot take a unilateral decision.”

He argued that cutting pay would have little effect on COCOBOD’s overall debt burden while risking low morale and potential unrest among workers.

“What they are cutting is like a drop of water in a huge sea compared to the magnitude of the problem,” he added.

GAWU said some of its members could be directly affected and called for immediate dialogue with management before any changes are implemented, insisting that restructuring efforts must be handled through collective bargaining.