Management of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and its workers have reached an agreement to resolve the dispute over salary adjustments for 2026, bringing the industrial action and weeks of tension to an end.
The agreement, contained in a Memorandum of Understanding between the NLA and the Financial Business and Services Employees Union (FBSEU), provides for a 12 per cent increase in workers’ basic salaries, effective January 1, 2026.
The two sides have also agreed to increase the utility allowance from eight per cent to 10 per cent.
As a result, workers will be entitled to arrears arising from both the salary increase and the adjustment in the utility allowance, covering the period from January 2026 until the revised rates are implemented on the payroll.
The agreement follows a deadlock between management and the union over the appropriate salary increase for 2026. The disagreement eventually led workers to embark on industrial action earlier this month.
The union had initially demanded a 17 per cent salary increase, while management maintained that the NLA’s financial position could only support a 12 per cent increment.
The dispute was further fuelled by concerns over a reduction in workers’ take-home pay following changes to the application of statutory income taxes.
Management explained that the tax adjustments followed concerns over the treatment of income tax on salaries and allowances. It also maintained that it had absorbed historical tax liabilities amounting to millions of cedis.
The workers, however, argued that the reduction in their net salaries made a higher salary adjustment necessary.
Following the impasse, the matter was referred to the National Labour Commission for arbitration. Further interventions by the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission subsequently paved the way for renewed negotiations between the NLA and the union.
Under the new agreement, the 12 per cent salary increase will apply to workers covered by the agreement for the 2026 calendar year.
The utility allowance will also increase by two percentage points, from eight to 10 per cent, with the adjustment taking effect from January 1, 2026.
The parties have additionally agreed to consider an extra one per cent alongside any percentage increase in basic salaries during the 2027 salary negotiations as part of efforts to address concerns over workers’ net earnings.
Management and the union have also committed to working together to ensure that all outstanding arrears are properly calculated and paid.
Both sides have pledged to respect the terms of the agreement and use dialogue and established dispute-resolution mechanisms to address any future disagreements over its implementation.
The resolution brings an end to a dispute that had raised concerns about staff welfare and working conditions at the NLA, while also creating the basis for workers to return to normal operations.
The NLA salary agreement is, however, specifically limited to the 2026 salary and utility allowance adjustments, with future negotiations expected to take into consideration the financial position of the Authority.
By : Rachael Djabakie