AG’s department threatens strike

The Attorney General’s Department (AG) in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital, is contemplating on embarking on an industrial action, starting October 1, this year, over unpaid allowances due them.

A credible source at the AG’s Department in Kumasi, who spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity, said the AG’s Department staff in the region have not been paid their clothing, fuel and leave allowances for the past two years.

He said the worrying aspect of the situation was the fact that their colleagues at the AG’s Department in Accra are however enjoying from the package which is part of the AG’s Department staff’s remuneration.

An aggrieved staff from the AG Department told the DAILY GUIDE, “My colleagues and I have on countless occasions drawn the attention of the necessary quarters including the Attorney General about our predicaments but nobody seems to care.”

He said their peaceful approach to resolving the matter amicably seemed not to be working; therefore, they have decided to lay down their tools, starting October, to drum home their grievances.

The source said the unpaid allowances were having adverse effects on the staff of the AG’s Department in the region so they would take the necessary action to resolve the matter “and I think strike is the right option.”

He said they have sent letters demanding their unpaid allowances to the Ministry of Finance, AG’s Department, Solicitor General and Controller and Accountant Generals Departments but to no avail.

The source, who sounded aggrieved, said their letters of demand was sent to the above mentioned bodies in July “but sadly they did not even write back to tell us they have received our letters.”

He said a month ago, they sent a petition to the AG’s Department in Accra to again draw their attention to the fact that “our allowances have not been paid for two years, but nobody responded to our petition.”

According to him, just on Monday, they (the Kumasi staff) had credible information that their colleagues in Accra, who had been receiving the allowance, were also paid their fuel allowance for 10 months.

He said the AG’s staff in the region are not being treated fairly so they would lay down their tools and would only return to work after the allowance due them is fully paid.