CLOGSAG declares nationwide strike over Interim Premium
The National Executive Council of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG) has declared intention to start a nationwide strike from Wednesday, July 27, 2016 over the inconclusive Interim Market Premium negotiations with government.
“The National Executive Council (NEC) initially fixed July 19, 2016, for the strike but suspended to give government sometime to respond to their demands.
“Unfortunately government had not responded favourably over the Interim Premium negotiations, the National Secretariat, hereby, declares that July 27, 2016 marks the commencement of the Strike,” Mr Isaac Bampoe Addo, the Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, said in Accra.
Addressing the media in Accra on Thursday, Mr Bampoe Addo, flanked by members of the NEC and some staff, urged all members of CLOGSAG to stay at home from July 27 until further notice.
Meanwhile, Mr Kwame Asamoah Dwomoh, the Director of the Compliant and Grievance Unit of CLOGSAG, explained to the GNA that the premium was supposed to go for all workers of CLOGSAG with the introduction of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) in 2010 which took away all relevant allowances that were due workers.
He said after some consultation with government officials, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and other stakeholders, it was agreed that such allowances be calculated in the form of market premium and paid to CLOGSAG members ensuring that the effective date should coincide with the implementation date of the SSSS.
However, Mr Asamoah Dwomoh said after sometime, CLOGSAG noticed that they had been cut off the negotiations involving a sub-committee inaugurated by Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Employment and Labour, which had meetings over the premium.
“We only heard that it had agreed that only Health and Education workers would benefit from the Interim Premium because they form the priority areas of government.
“CLOGSAG wish to emphatically state that it was neither requested to submit justification for payment of premium to qualified personnel with the Civil and Local Government Services nor was the association invited by the Sub-Committee.
“We think this is not fair on the part of government to even take us out of the Technical Committee negotiations and come out with that discriminating directive,” Mr Asamoah Dwomoh said.
CLOSGAG had, on July 4, issued a warning that if by July 19, 2016, its leadership had not been informed about the implementation of the Interim Market Premium for its members, the National Executive would declare a nationwide strike.
Source: GNA