The Employment and Labor Relations Minister, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has announced new roadmaps to resolve the ongoing industrial action by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (GLOGSAG).

He gave the assurance during a meeting with the Local Government Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, where he noted that all allowance arrears owed members of CLOGSAG will be addressed soon.

Speaking to JoyNews after the meeting, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Committee, Benjamin Kpodo, said the Minister was confident the plan will meet the striking group's demands.

“It [the meeting] didn’t last that long, and there was no dispute at the meeting. So, based on the assurances given to us by the Minister, it means the matter will be resolved at the soonest possible time.

“We don’t doubt the Minister because he met us as a Committee. Our committee is a very serious one, and he has been a member before and currently, the Deputy Minister himself is a member of the Committee; so, when they speak to us as colleagues, you don’t have any reason to doubt,” he said.

Background

CLOGSAG laid down its tools on Thursday, April 21, 2022, following the inability of government to pay the allowance as agreed in January this year.

It argues that the neutrality allowance ensures that civil and local government workers do not engage in partisanship while conducting their affairs when they are in their various offices.

The three-week industrial action has left many citizens seeking government services stranded.

Many renowned people have criticised the workers for their decision to strike.

Personalities, including the Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, and the Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Emmanuel Akwetey, have asked the civil servants to resign if they cannot stay neutral in the discharge of their duties.

Other organisations have called on the Association to reconsider their decision and come back to work.

Despite these criticisms and persuasion, the civil servants insist that the industrial action will only be called off when the government is firm on its promise to pay them the neutrality allowance.

Meanwhile, timelines for submitting the payment plan elapsed more than a week ago, with the government yet to return to the negotiation table.

The legislature is the latest institution to intervene to convince CLOGSAG to call off its strike.