Labor Expert, Seth Abloso, has admonished government to address the wages and salaries civil servants in the public sector receive in the country.
Mr. Seth Abloso indicated that the Public sector workers are the least paid in the country, as such, a solution must be found to address their wages other than they demanding for the payment of some allowances.
Commenting on CLOSAG’s strike over the failure of government to pay its allowance and its engagement with the National Labor Commission (NLC) so far, he averred that the NLC is under the obligation to be neutral in this case. However, he intimated that the NLC agreeing to the payment of neutrality allowance in the first place, “is a little weird”.
According to Seth Abloso, the strike action by CLOSAG is as a result of government ignoring a 2020 advice from the Professor Yaa Ntiamoah Badu Emolument Committee, which urged government to take urgent steps to address disparities in wages and salaries in the public sector, to ensure that the workers work and live in dignity.
“The report was presented in June 2020. As we speak, no action has been taken on the report mentioned. We are in 2022, why has it not been implemented? We are waiting till 2023 or 2024 to form another committee.”
Seth Abloso
Address recommendations in report
Seth Abloso suggested that the President needs to be urged to look at the issue and admonished those who advise him on matters of labor, to see that he addresses every recommendation in the report from the Committee. “Parts of the report says that whatever increment workers are given, the President and those with him should not take more than that percentage.”
“The increases that the Article 71 officer holders take when recommendations go to Parliament, is in violation of the constitution because Article 108 of the constitution talks about settlement of Financial Market. Parliament has no capacity or authority to increase anything that is charged on the consolidated funds. So, for instance, when the Finance Minister presents a budget, Parliament can only decrease what the Minister presents, they cannot increase and its the same with the salaries.”
Seth Abloso
The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) proceeded on strike today, April 21, 2022 over government’s failure to pay its members their neutrality allowance.
The Association in a statement noted that the neutrality allowance formed part of a Memorandum of Understanding entered into with the government on January 20, 2022. According to CLOSAG, despite official reminders and follow ups to the Finance Ministry, payment of the allowance has not been effected after more than three months as agreed.
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