A labour expert, Austin Gamey, says it is unfair to hold the current administration solely responsible for the looming strike by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), arguing that the dispute predates the present government.

According to him, engagements between the union and the government date back to 2019, when both sides agreed on a way forward regarding the union’s conditions of service.

Speaking on Joy FM's Top Story on Thursday, he explained that although the union has legitimate concerns and every right to demand action from its employer, the dispute has lasted several years and cannot be attributed entirely to a government that has been in office for about a year.

“Every engagement, I understood they engaged the government in 2019 and agreed on a certain way forward, which they expect the present government to continue. Obviously, government is a continuum,” he stated.

The labour expert added that while the concerns of the workers deserve attention, it would be unreasonable to justify a strike against a relatively new administration over an issue that has persisted for about four years.

“That itself is a gigantic kind of thing that they cannot take a strike action for a one-year-old government for something that has lasted four years. It’s not fair,” he stressed.

He, however, acknowledged that the union is justified in demanding that authorities address their concerns.

He noted that Ghana’s labour laws clearly outline procedures for resolving disputes, stressing that industrial actions must follow established legal processes.

His comments come ahead of an indefinite strike declared by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana on Monday, March 9, over the delay in implementing its revised conditions of service.