Impact of CLOGSAG strike affecting gov’t business — MPs

Members of Parliament (MPs) have expressed worry over the impact of the strike by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), as it is affecting parliamentary work and government business in general.

The MPs said they could not access their Common Fund, particularly the Local Government Committee members, because Local Government Staff who were supposed to help with the documentation were on strike.

This was revealed after a meeting between the Local Government Committee and the leadership of CLOGSAG in Parliament on Monday.

Mr Suleman Adamu Sanid, the Vice Chairman of the Committee, addressing the media after the meeting , said every MP had been affected by the strike.

“Every MP is affected by the strike. There are so many things we are trying to process, but we cannot do them because of the strike. If things go through, I’m sure they’ll be resolved in no time. Let’s remain positive,” he said.

Mr Sanid indicated that the Committee would consider engaging the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) for a permanent solution to the problem and expressed optimism that CLOGSAG would soon resume work.

“We are looking at engaging the FWSC… to understand what is still holding them and causing some of these things to go on.”

“If the FWSC doesn’t have the necessary legislative tools, we can do that so that this perineal issues of strikes here and there will be a thing of the past,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the MP for Odododiodoo, has appealed to CLOGSAG to resume work in the interest of Ghana.

“All of us are feeling the impact and that is why Parliament has been invited to come in,” he said.

“For MPs, our Common Fund releases at the assemblies cannot be worked on. Let’s pray that they will get what they’re looking for so that they can resume work.”

“We have decided that on resumption of the House, we shall make a statement on this issue of disparity in the wage structure of the various labour organisations so that, as a country, we take a look one more time at the wage and workers’ conditions of service to resolve this.”

CLOGSAG has embarked on a nationwide strike for some weeks now due to what they described as unpaid “neutrality allowances.”

The Association, in a statement, explained that the leadership signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government on January 20, 2022 for the payment of the allowance.