Sunyani High Court adjourns CLOGSAG case

A Sunyani High Court, presided by Justice Bosco Nabrese on Wednesday adjourned a writ filed against the Executive Committee of the Civil and Local Government Association Staff of Ghana (CLOGSAG) to May 20.

Mr Isaac Tachie, a local government staff, is praying the Court to compel the Committee to account for what he described “as unlawful” a two per cent monthly deductions from the salaries of the about 61,000 members of the Association.

The plaintiff, who is the Works Superintendent at the Municipal Assembly, is also pleading the High Court Three to order the Committee to stop the deductions with immediate effect.

When the case was called for hearing, the Counsel for the defendant, Mr Bernard Agotey, however, filed a motion, asking the court to transfer the matter to an Accra High Court for hearing.

He said the CLOGSAG has no established offices in the regional capitals and as it headquarters is in Accra, the matter ought to be transferred there.

An accompanying affidavit filed by Mr Alexander Amponsah, Counsel for the plaintiff and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), expressed regret that the Committee has from July 2014, unlawfully deducted from salaries of members into the purported CLOGSAG Fund without the authorisation and the consent of the members.

“The Executive Committee has no mandate to call for the composition and inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the CLOGSAG Fund without approval from the quadrennial delegates’ congress or the National Executive Council (NEC) of CLOGSAG,” it stated.

The affidavit said according to CLOGSAG’s constitution, it is rather the quadrennial delegates’ congress and the NEC, which has the capacity to decide on the composition and inauguration of the Board of trustees for the Fund.

It said the idea of establishing the CLOGSAG fund was mooted at the Association’s 11th quadrennial delegates’ congress, held at Cape Coast, where the NEC was mandated to formulate proposals for the venture.

“In this regard the NEC came out with a brochure outlining the modalities of the fund, which was published titled, the “CLOGSAG Fund,” it said.

The affidavit said “apart from this modalities published by the NEC, neither the Council nor the quadrennial delegates’ congress have taken any step for the establishment of the CLOGSAG Fund Board of Trustees”.

It said the CLOGSAG Fund, according to NEC’s proposals, was meant as a voluntary contribution to be made by members, and prayed the court to stop the monthly deductions.