CLOGSAG threatens nationwide demonstrations

Accra, Aug. 19, GNA-The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) on Thursday declared it intention to undertake a four-day nationwide strike starting August 24, 2010 to press home their demand to negotiate on their conditions of service.

Addressing a press conference in Accra, Mr. Edward Foli, CLOGSAG's Acting President, said the association was taking that line of action because government had not given them the expected response on their right to negotiate their service conditions for 2010.

"We have to draw the attention of government to our right to negotiate our conditions of service. It is our entitlement and we must negotiate"=85..I therefore call on our members to participate massively to press home our demands", he said.

The association also took a swipe at the Employment and Social Welfare Minister, Enoch Teye Mensah, registering their displeasure at alleged derogatory comments made by him about the CLOGSAG.

They alleged that the Minister on separate workshops in the Ashanti and Central regions stated that the CLOGSAG was formed with funding from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that the recent nationwide demonstrations by members of the association was not undertaken by actual civil servants but by supporters of the NPP.

They also alleged that the Minister used that same platform to castigate the leadership of the association saying that it was packed with retired, blockhead and old fashioned officers whose comparative analysis between the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) and the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) was not correct.

Mr. Foli, flanked by highly agitated executives of the association, said it was unfortunate for the Minister to make such remarks when he should be in a better position to know the history of labour unions related to his ministry.

"That CLOGSAG was formed with funding from the New Patriotic Party is an unfortunate statement coming from a high profile and elderly personality of government who ought to have known that the history of labour unions in the country is directly related to his Ministry"

"Has it been the practice for political parties to sponsor labour associations? Does it go to suggest that NAGRAT for example was formed with funding from a political party? Is it a case of a practice which the Minister was so used to that is rather haunting him", he asked.

"Does it mean also that the former splinter groups of the civil Servants Association of old, for example the Concerned Civil Servants were also politically motivated", he asked

This association has been the mouthpiece of its member's irrespective of their positions and locations for a long time before the establishment of the NPP", he said.

Foli said it was also unfortunate for the Minister to allege that members of the association who embarked on the recent demonstrations were NPP supporters.

"Again, the Minister is being haunted by his past practices. How on earth could an association, very conversant with the needs of its members go bussing party sympathisers to demonstrate? It means the Minister is suggesting that Civil Servants in Ghana do not know when and how to express their feelings".

"In fact, it would mean that all demonstrations, according to the Minister, for example the recent demonstration by the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union on the utility tariff hikes was also politically motivated

What one can deduce as a possible motive behind this posture of the Minister is that he is relishing his old skills=85.His skills to confuse and deceive the public or even Government", he said.

Mr. Foli said that the civil servants demonstrated to in lieu of their economic and social rights and that the minister should 93present the true picture to the President and not mislead him".

He said that the CLOGSAG had been reliably informed that the next line of the Minister was to 93shitbomb" the association 93but we have purchased enough disinfectant for a major clean up"

On the issue of the comparative analysis on the SSSS and the GUSS, the CLOGSAG challenged the Minister to 93bring out vividly his analysis for the general public to judge, now that the Single Spine Salaries are known".

He said the CLOGSAG was not surprised that the Minister called its Executives 93blockhead old-Fashioned officers", because his (Minister) "attitude, posture and body language" depicted someone who was fatigued in governance, tracing his political background to the Provisional National Defence Council era.

Mr. Foli called on civil and local government staff to demonstrate their maturity and disregard all pronouncements from the minister regarding the CLOGSAG and 93Challenge them because we are in a democratic dispensation"

"They should not drag us into politics. CLOGSAG is in good position and ready to inform its members on how any policies affect them and prepared to work with any agency to resolve issues in amore transparent participatory and truthful manner not through the deliberate peddling of lies and arm twisting", he said.