12 labour unions suspend intended strike

Twelve public sector labour unions have called off their intended strike action a day to the 29th September ultimatum given to government to address their concerns.

The strike was to protest government’s handling of their Tier-2 pension contributions.

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSSAG), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana Medical Association (GMA), and eight other unions are demanding that their pension contributions spanning 2010 to 2016 be transferred to their custodian banks rather than being kept in their temporal pensions account where it accrues no interest.

In July this year, the unions threatened they will take a critical action against government if their monies are not paid by 29th September. But the unions have called off their intended action after government constituted a committee to look into their matter.

Speaking to Valentina Ofori-Yeboah on 505 on Class91.3FM, National Organiser of CLOGSAG, Emmanuel Acquah, explained that: “We are suspending the strike because government has been meeting us since we came out with that publication. We’ve met government several times and he has given us a listening ear. As we speak now, there has been a nine-member joint technical committee which is going to see to the transfers of the monies that have been accrued since 2010 to 2016...”

The agitated labour groups include the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Ghana Physician Assistants Association (GPAA), Government Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) and Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists (GACRA).

The others are the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSSAG) and Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG).