Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Finance, Kwaku Kwarteng, has urged government not to pay salaries of public sector workers who embark on illegal strikes.
Mr. Kwaku Kwarteng stated that this is logical because the money government holds in trust is for the people. As such, people who work cannot have their taxes being paid to another Ghanaian that says “I will not work because I have a grievance”.
The Committee Chairman indicated that the principle is clearly indicated in the labor act where the employer has the right not to pay if workers illegally embark on strikes.
“Now, before you can receive salary for unpaid work, there ought to be a legal strike. Now, if you look carefully at the Labor Act, there is always no room for illegal strike. If you do not agree you go for arbitration. Once arbitration is on, you’re not allowed to strike.”
Kwaku Kwarteng
Kwaku Kwarteng called for a seizure of the culture in Ghana where workers think they can go on strike because they have what they consider to be legitimate grievances “and the taxes paid by other innocent Ghanaians who may have their own grievances [as well] are used to pay those who do not work.”
The Committee Chairman posited that the labor act provides for such workers not to be paid but over the years, government has never had the courage to apply it for what seems like political reasons. He suggested to the labor unions to save a portion of their dues paid by their workers to cushion these same workers when they embark on strikes to address their grievances while the tax payers money is used to do something else.
“This is what happens in many civilized economies and I call for that culture to be immediately instituted in Ghana. The law is there for it and government should begin to apply this, otherwise, we are always going to have people use strike as an excuse not to go to work because they know they will be paid anyway.”
Kwaku Kwarteng
CLOSAG workers shouldn’t be paid
Mr. Kwarteng noted that he has listened to the details of CLOSAG’s strike a little bit and thinks government should not pay them. “And it is not just CLOGSAG, let it not look like it’s the special point I am making in respect to CLOGSAG. I’m making a general point that whenever workers embark on strike action, those actions are unlawful in the eyes of the Labour Act, these workers should not be paid.”
According to him, the public sector workers serve the government who is their employer in this regard. This, he stated, cannot be done in the private sector, “so, why is it that when it comes to the public sector business, then we treat it as though it’s nobody’s business”.
“Who’ll own a private business and say that I will continue to pay you, even though you’re not working on grounds that you have an issue with me as an employer. Where can we entertain this apart from the public business?”
Kwaku Kwarteng
Kwaku Kwarteng commented on the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) who have been on strike since 21st April to demand what they describe as the non-payment of “neutrality allowance” as agreed with the government.
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