The disparities in Pay Policies and Structures in Ghana’s Public and Informal Sectors: Accra Metropolis Blue-Collar Waste Collectors/Workers vs White-Collar Employees in Perspective

Abstract

At the end of the day everybody is working to be paid or to earn something for a living. But one needs to be formally employed or self-employed to make satisfactory living. Hence, blue-collar workers for that matter "borla man" or "sag-vara" meaning waste or rubbish collector is one of the tedious indecent jobs that attract less pay and have unsatisfactory conditions of work. Because they operate in an informal way many do not rate or see them as important workers or deserve better, hence, the charges are negotiated and the giver pays so little without recourse to the terrible and hazardous nature of the work. They collect people's waste and rubbish thereby cleaning the environment from diseases. The white-collar workers on the other hand work in accordance to contract or are permanently employed with remuneration in the condition of service attached. The white-collar employees receive decent and quality pay in addition to working from well-ventilated and structured offices, such as, sitting in air-conditions, fans, lighting etc. The research findings indicate that the blue-collar workers receive indecent and very low pay or earnings despite the tedious work they do. This research was conducted using a qualitative method of study thereby trying to create inductive theories. A population of quota sample of 15 Blue-Collar workers participated in the interview and the results indicate that their pay or reward is very small compared to the tedious indecent jobs they are doing. They deserve better and quality pay to improve their condition for service from the public engagers. The qualitative software used to run the data was QDA Miner Lite. White-Collar employees on the other hand enjoys decent and quality pay from the Single Spine Pay Policy by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) which is deduced from the secondary sources. The research recommended that for knowledge and management implications, the government must provide a general guidance by advocacy to the general public to put a premium on the charges they negotiate and pay to the "borla man" or "sag-vara" that is, the waste or rubbish collector above the minimum wages.