Members of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) will today May 16 return to work after they called off their nationwide strike last week.
Government institutions like the Registrar General's Department and District Assemblies will today have officers at post to serve the public.
Executive Secretary for CLOGSAG Mr Isaac Bampoe Addo last week said Finance Ministry has on May 11 directed the Controller and Accountant general department to effect payment of their neutrality allowance, hence, the decision to call off the strike.
“At its meeting held on Thursday 12th May 2022, the National Executive Council of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) decided to call off the nationwide strike by its members. The rationale to step down the industrial action was based on the fact that the demand from the Ministry of Finance to direct the Controller and Accounts General to effect payment of the agreed allowance has been met on 11th May 2022.”
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He said all members of the association are expected to resume work on Monday, May 16, 2022.
“The strike has been called off, all CLOGSAG members are to report back to work by May 16, 2022.”
Background
CLOGSAG has been lamenting what it believes is government’s lack of commitment to honour the payment of the political neutrality allowance due its members.
The concern comes after the National Labour Commission (NLC) directed the Ministry of Finance on a payment plan of the allowance.
A week after that order, CLOGSAG is yet to receive payment compelling the striking association to continue with its strike.
Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo said the Finance Ministry is being disingenuous with the agreement reached by the parties involved.
“That directive from the National Labour Commission that they [Finance Ministry] sends instruction to the Controller and Accountant General for the payment of the allowance has still not been done as we speak. That should have been done last week as directed by the NLC”, he said.
Isaac Bampoe Addo further lamented the current turn of events, thus questioning the delay in the payment.
“If two parties have gone to the National Labour Commission and there has been a directive and the Ministry of Finance with impudence doesn’t comply with the directive, what signals are they sending? NLC has directed the payment and the Finance Ministry has still not done it.”
“The allowance is just a minute part of our conditions of service. The whole conditions of service are even yet to be tackled. The allowance was a decision taken by government to be implemented in 2022 so the payment structure is tackled in 2023. That was the agreement, and the Finance Ministry is flouting the directive with impudence. It is the Ministry of finance that is not playing ball. We wonder what is happening”, Mr. Addo added.