CLOSSAG willing to forfeit salary
The National Executive Council of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOSSAG) on Wednesday threatened to continue with its strike with or without salary.
CLOSSAG declared a nationwide strike from Wednesday, July 27, over the inconclusive Interim Market Premium negotiations with government.
Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Haruna Iddrisu at a news conference on Monday, August 8, advised CLOSSAG to resume work or risk lose their August salary.
He said: “While we recognise the right to make public manifestation and pronouncement of their unhappiness, we are unable to accommodate further strike and in particular to compensate for an illegal strike and to compensate for them for not working for the period of August.
“Accordingly I have directed the Head of Civil Service and the Head of Local Government Service to begin a head count and an audit from tomorrow and to submit the list on Friday to my office for advice to the Controller and Ministry of Finance that we will not compensate for that unproductive behaviour. They should return to work or forfeit August salaries.”
The Minister who walked into the National Executive Council Meeting (NEC) of CLOSSAG on Tuesday said the 2016 budget did not anticipate theirs demands and urged CLOSSAG to go back to work and allow the 2017 budget to take care of their demands.
The National Labour Commission had asked CLOSSAG to call off its strike with immediate effect, because it was illegal, but the Association remained adamant.
Addressing the media after the NEC meeting, Mr Isaac Bampoe Addo, the Executive Secretary of CLOSSAG, said members would not resume work until their demands are met.
He indicated that its members are ready to forfeit their salaries until their demands are met.
Mr Kwame Asamoah Dwomoh, the Director of the Compliant and Grievance Unit of CLOSSAG, explained to the GNA that the premium was supposed to go for all workers of CLOSSAG with the introduction of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) in 2010 which took away all relevant allowances that were due them.
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 CLOSSAG members ensuring that the effective date should coincide with the implementation date of the SSSS.
However, Mr Asamoah Dwomoh said after sometime, CLOSSAG noticed that they have been cut off the negotiations involving a sub-committee inaugurated by Mr Iddrisu, 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.
“CLOSSAG wish to emphatically state that it is 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.
Source: GNA