We won’t negotiate with FWSC - CLOGSAG

A meeting between the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) and the National Labour Commission (NLC) on Wednesday 10 August aimed at resolving CLOGSAG members’ grievances in connection with the non-payment of their interim premiums, ended abruptly without any success.

CLOGSAG protested against the presence of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) at the meeting, arguing that the latter was not its employer.

Members of CLOGSAG have been on strike since 27 July. Their strike has been described as illegal by the NLC. The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, has also asked CLOGSAG members to report to duty or risk losing their August salaries. But the workers have called government’s bluff.

Speaking to Class News, National Organiser of CLOGSAG Emmanuel Acquah said they objected to the presence of FWSC because it had no locus in the negotiation.

“Fair Wages was there, Labour Commission was represented by its counsel and we raised issues about the parties involved in the discussion. The Labour Act stipulates that [discussions on industrial] dispute is between the employer and the employee, and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission are not our employers, so we cannot discuss industrial disputes with them. We raised the issue to the commission and the commission also accepted, so the meeting came to an end,” Mr Acquah explained.

Meanwhile, President John Mahama has appealed to CLOGSAG to return to work since granting their request will throw the budget off gear.