Registrar-General’s Department to miss out on revenue target due to CLOGSAG strike
The Registrar-General’s Department (RGD) says it may not achieve its 2022 revenue target if the strike action by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), continues.
Activities at the Department have come to a halt due to the industrial action, which commenced on April 21, over an unpaid “neutrality allowance.”
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday, Mr Nicholas Ofori Obeng-Twum, the Head of Public Relations of the Department, said the strike was taking a grave toll on its operations.
Since the commencement of the strike, all activities at the Department had been suspended, including business registration and renewals, as well as marriage registrations.
He said with the RGD being the sole agency responsible for business registration and renewal of certificates in the country, those entities were suffering from the unending strike.
“For us at RGD, we are losing revenue. It is hurting our clients and stakeholders and it is hurting the business community, which does not auger well for the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda…” he said.
“We have over GH¢100 million revenue target we have to meet. However, we might struggle to meet it, especially having sat home for three weeks since the CLOGSAG strike started, halting all operations. This will definitely impact our revenue generation.”
Mr Obeng-Twum noted that with a few weeks to the end of the filing of the annual returns by companies, most of them were likely to default on their obligations.
More than 20 marriages have also been put on hold because the Department cannot register them due to the on-going strike, Mr Obeng-Twum noted.
To mitigate the impact on clients, he encouraged them to use the RGD’s online platform and the USSD code to register and renew their businesses.
He urged the Government to, as a matter of urgency, meet the leadership of CLOGSAG and find a lasting solution to the impasse, to enable effective work to begin and avoid revenue loss.
“I’m urging the Government to meet the CLOGSAG leadership, come to an amicable solution on this matter so that at least the strike can be called off and work will resume.”
Meanwhile, CLOGSAG has cautioned its members to refrain from attending meetings, workshops, conferences, and other official programmes as far as the strike continues.
The Association issued a notice on Monday, cited by the GNA, further reminding its members of the on-going nationwide strike.
“We reiterate that CLOGSAG members are enjoined to be steadfast, resolute, committed to the cause, and continue to stay home until further notice,” it said.
Source: GNA