Pelpuo urges CLOGSAG to suspend strike

The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has appealed to the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) to suspend its nationwide strike and return to the negotiating table, assuring the union that the government is committed to addressing its concerns.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, the minister said he has been engaging both the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the leadership of CLOGSAG to better understand the issues behind the strike.

He added that discussions with the Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, had produced a firm commitment to resolve the matter.

“I don’t want a situation where it’s like somebody carrying a log behind you and intending to hit you, and therefore you have to make a decision here and there,” he said, explaining that he hopes to avoid negotiations driven by pressure.

Pelpuo admitted that communication between the National Labour Commission, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, and CLOGSAG broke down before the strike began, leaving the institutions unable to engage the union in time.

“I didn’t know about the strike at that very moment,” he said.

Meanwhile, CLOGSAG’s Executive Secretary, Isaac Bampoe Addo, said a one-hour meeting with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on March 9 ended without an agreement.

He noted that the union’s National Executive Council has not called off the strike because there is still no clear roadmap to resolve the dispute.

Pelpuo, however, urged the union to trust the government’s assurances and suspend the strike while talks continue.

“Strikes should be the last resort,” he said.

He also warned that prolonged industrial action could affect both public services and workers.

“All of us are going to suffer,” the minister said.

The ongoing strike has disrupted work in several government offices across the country, raising concerns about its impact on public service delivery.

NA/BAI

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