The Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU-Ghana) and the General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have rejected COCOBOD’s recent decision to cut salaries of senior and management staff, describing the move as “unacceptable” and a potential threat to productivity.
The unions’ statement followed the Finance Minister’s February 12, 2026 announcement on reforms aimed at stabilizing COCOBOD and the cocoa industry. The reforms include offloading legacy debt, aligning producer prices with world market trends, and allocating 50% of Ghana’s cocoa production to local processors.
While the unions welcomed these initiatives as timely and economically sound, they strongly opposed the salary reductions.
“The decision to reduce the salaries of senior and management staff by 10 to 20 percent is totally unacceptable,” the unions said. “Management acted without recourse to the Labour Law or our Collective Agreement, and this could severely affect staff morale and productivity.”
The unions called for an immediate reversal of the pay cuts and urged management to engage them in discussions. They stressed that a motivated workforce is essential to sustaining COCOBOD’s operations and ensuring the cocoa industry, a key pillar of Ghana’s economy, continues to thrive.
Despite the disagreement over salaries, ICU and GAWU acknowledged the potential benefits of the government’s reforms, including value addition, job creation, and improved financial stability for a sector that has faced operational and financial challenges in recent years.
“COCOBOD can achieve its objectives if management, staff, and stakeholders work together,” the unions concluded, urging proper consultation and strict adherence to labour agreements as the reforms are implemented.
