The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has reached an agreement with its workers to resolve outstanding labour issues that recently triggered industrial action and threatened industrial harmony within the institution.
The breakthrough followed a meeting involving the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment Relations, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo; the Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Dr George Smith Graham; NLA Board Chairman Frederick Amissah; NLA Director-General Mohammed Abdul-Salam; and executives of the Authority’s local union, led by the national leadership of the Financial, Business and Services Employees Union (FBSEU).
In a statement issued by the NLA Board and Management, the Authority said that all parties reached a consensus on measures to address staff concerns, paving the way for a return to normal operations.
A major outcome of the discussions was the FWSC’s acceptance of Management’s initial proposal for a 12 percent salary increase for NLA staff, rather than the Commission’s earlier recommendation of an 8 percent increment.
The development follows NLA workers’ sit-down strike and demonstration on Monday, August 24, 2026, over a dispute regarding the year’s salary adjustment.
The local union had demanded a 17 percent salary increase, arguing that changes in the application of statutory income taxes had reduced workers’ net earnings.
Management, however, said its 12 percent offer was influenced by the Authority’s decision to absorb more than GH¢5 million in historical income tax liabilities owed to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
According to Management, the GRA had notified the NLA of a backlog of unpaid income taxes on staff salaries covering six years, from 2016 to 2022, arising from an incorrect application of tax.
“After several meetings with the GRA, the Board and Management entered into an arrangement with the GRA to pay the tax arrears totalling over five million Ghana cedis at no cost to staff,” the Authority said.
To prevent the accumulation of further liabilities, Management said it subsequently agreed to rectify the tax anomaly by applying the appropriate statutory taxes to staff salaries going forward.
The adjustment, however, reduced workers’ net take-home pay, prompting the union to demand a 17 percent salary increase to cushion staff from the impact.
Management said that, during budgetary approvals, the Board initially approved a 10 percent salary increase because of the financial burden associated with absorbing the tax arrears, as well as other budgetary constraints.
Management subsequently advocated an additional two per cent, bringing the Authority’s offer to 12 percent.
The union rejected the offer, declared a deadlock, and referred the matter to the National Labor Commission (NLC) for redress.
On Friday, August 21, the union formally notified Management of its intention to commence a sit-down strike and demonstration on Monday, August 24.
The NLA said Management had also engaged the FWSC earlier in the year for guidance on the salary adjustment.
It said it wrote to the FWSC on February 11, 2026, and received a response dated June 11, 2026, in which the Commission advised the Authority to increase salaries by 8 percent, based on the NLA’s financial capacity.
The eight per cent recommendation was four percentage points below Management’s eventual 12 percent offer.
Following the latest meeting, Management said discussions would continue among the NLA, the union, and the FWSC to address concerns regarding income tax composition and its impact on workers’ earnings.
The Authority has therefore appealed to staff to remain calm and resume their duties while the remaining issues are finalized through ongoing engagements.
Management expressed confidence that the agreement would restore industrial harmony and strengthen cooperation between workers and the Authority.
It also assured the public, Lotto Marketing Companies, Private Lotto Operators (PLOs), third-party collaborators, and other stakeholders that its operations would continue to support its mandate of generating revenue for national development.
The NLA further reaffirmed its commitment to the welfare of its workforce while pursuing its core mandate.
The resolution brings an end, at least temporarily, to the industrial dispute that had threatened to disrupt activities at the state-owned lottery institution.
