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The Mahama administration is desperately trying to do the impossible – Riding two horses at the same time in opposite directions.

Whiles its recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rule out net increases of over 10 percent of salaries and wages for Government workers some professional organizations and labour unions are demanding net increases of more than 500 percent.

Indeed the cumulative increases demand by the members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is in excess of 500 percent.

Already doctors, psychiatric nurses and lawyers at the office of the Attorney-General are on strike and it is expected that other sections of organized labour will join in.

The IMF insists that if the Government of Ghana fails strictly abide by its 10 percent ceiling on net increases in the salaries and wages of public sector workers it will not release bailout funds.

The IMF has already released about a third of the bailout funds of close to US$1 billion to the Government of Ghana.

Given all the current circumstances, Ghana’s Ministry of Finance has a delicate dance to perform.

The chances of the IMF showing some flexibility are almost zero leaving the fate of Ghanaian workers agitating for better conditions of service hanging in the balance.

It appears that Government of Ghana has hardly any alternatives within the current economic paradigm.