Legal practitioner and policy commentator, Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers, has criticised the recent salary cut at Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), describing the move as a “needless public relations gimmick” that fails to address the institution’s core challenges.
According to him, while Cocobod is currently grappling with significant operational and financial pressures, cutting salaries is not a sustainable or lawful solution to the deeper structural problems confronting the institution.
Brako-Powers argued that the decision appears populist and reactionary, rather than carefully thought through within the framework of Ghana’s labour laws and industrial relations regime.
“The salary cut at Cocobod is a populist approach to a major issue. It does not solve any of the problems confronting the institution,” he stated.
“What it has succeeded in doing is rather to incur the displeasure of some senior employees.”
He questioned the legality of the move, asking whether the appropriate consultations were undertaken in accordance with the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which governs employer-employee relations at the institution.
“How do you cut the salaries of your employees without the appropriate consultation in conformity with the Labour Act?” he asked, stressing that unilateral variations of employment conditions could expose the institution to legal challenges.
The lawyer further warned that crisis management must not be used as justification for bypassing due process, noting that actions taken in haste during turbulent times often have long-term legal and reputational consequences
He called on the leadership of Cocobod to immediately reverse the decision and engage employees through proper dialogue and negotiation mechanisms.
Brako-Powers also threw his support behind concerns raised by organised labour, particularly the General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) and the Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU-Ghana), describing their intervention as legitimate and grounded in law.
“The call by GAWU and ICU-Ghana is a genuine one, and Cocobod must do the right thing,” he said, urging management to prioritise consensus-building over unilateral directives.
He emphasised that industrial harmony within Cocobod is critical, especially at a time when the cocoa sector is under intense public scrutiny and requires stability to implement broader reforms.
Concluding, Brako-Powers cautioned that it is easy for institutions to make poor decisions under pressure, but insisted that leadership must remain measured, lawful, and consultative. “It is easy to make wrong decisions when dealing with crisis,” he noted.
“Cocobod must be careful not to take a path that creates avoidable legal and industrial complications.”