CLOGSAG draws gov’t attention to worrying practices

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), has drawn government’s attention to certain practices by those in authority that are disturbing to the structures within the Civil and Local Government Services.

It said these repeated acts, which shake the foundation of central and local governance take the form of politicisation of services, intimidation of workers at the hands of politicians and outsourcing revenues to the private sector without adequate supervision.

The rest are superimposing external private companies on certain establishments/departments within the services and low key attention being given to the Public Sector Reforms Programme.

A statement signed by Isaac Bampoe Addo, CLOGSAG Executive Secretary and copied to the Ghana News Agency over the weekend observed that changes in Government had, in many instances, had a negative impact on some of their members as they were made to proceed on long leave without due regard to their conditions of service.

It said in the worst case scenario, some newly appointed politicians openly declared that they could not work with certain competent officers and as a result called for their transfer. “In the process of these changes, some of our members were intimidated and had to endure extreme hardships.

“These changes did not take account of the skills and competencies of the officers in contributing to the success of the establishment, neither the need for institutional memory considered. The least said about these actions due to political interference the better,” the statement noted.

It said another area of serious concern is the outsourcing of revenue collection to private companies without proper supervision and accountability, adding that “we are aware that significant revenue losses have occurred”.

It said furthermore, CLOGSAG has observed with dismay, the current practice of virtually allowing private companies to take over the legitimate functions of some state departments. The statement observed that this approach is really tantamount to giving “a dog a bad name and hanging it”.

It said: “It is evident that these affected institutions have been regularly under resourced, rendering them incapable of achieving their set objectives. I Ironically, these private companies are rather heavily supported financially. These state institutions/establishments are consciously or inadvertently being destroyed”.

“We believe in public-private partnership that enhances growth of public institutions and organisations but not the type that is collapsing public establishments, departments and agencies.” CLOGSAG urged government to take a sober reflection of the Public Sector Reform Programme and the benefits that would inure to the economy and the people.

It said priority must be given to the sector and the reforms perused so that the Public Sector really becomes the fuel that it needs to engender growth and development and act as a catalyst in the Public Private Partnership being touted.

“There have been trying moments in 2013, but due to the fortitude and support from our members, we sail, have sailed through. We have every hope that 2014 would be a better year,” it stated.