With three weeks left for the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) to come into operation, the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has posed another challenge. The association is contesting the constitutionality of certain sections of the policy and has forced the Fair Wage and Salaries Commission (FWSC) into the dock for the National Labour Commission (NLC) to compel it to negotiate with civil and local government workers as a body distinct from other branches of organised labour. The Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Mr James Amissah, contended that freedom of association was enshrined in the Constitution and the Labour Law allowed for freedom in collective bargaining arrangements by workers. He said those provisions made the association not bound to join other workers in negotiating for salary reviews as directed by the agency charged with the implementation of the policy. But the Chief Executive of the FWSC, Mr George Smith Graham, contends that if CLOGSAG's demands are granted the new pay policy will be destroyed because the stance of the association will be a cue for other workers to break away from the consensus which underpins the implementation of the SSPP. "Freedom of association is known to all, but with the single salary structure, we are putting all other workers with the same right to the freedom of association on one single structure for salaries," Mr Smith-Graham said. He explained further that with salaries for public sector workers, there had to be a single representative group negotiating for and on behalf of all workers, hence the memorandum of understanding (MoD) reached between organised labour and the FWSC that established the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee (PSJNC) made up of its representatives, as well as those of organised labour and associations. Last month, the PSJNC and organised labour groups and associations concluded negotiations for a 10 per cent "across-the-board" salary increase for all public servants with effect from January 2010, in lieu of the full implementation of the first phase of the SSSS. The CLOGSAG was not part of the meeting which signed the MoD. Meanwhile, the FWSC and CLOG SAG have begun addressing the concerns of CLOGSAG on other aspects of the implementation of the SSSS. That has been made possible by a technical committee of representatives of the FWSC, CLOGSAG, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare (MoESW), the Executive Secretary of the Civil Servants Association and the Public Services Commission Secretariat and put together by the MoESW to look into and deal with the issues. Mr Amissah, however said if CLOGSAG's grievances were not resolved, then the SSSS would be used to remunerate other workers "minus CLOGSAG". Although satisfied with the initiative of the ministry in setting up the technical committee, Mr Amissah was not satisfied with the pace and activities of the committee since its first meeting on April 23, 2010, saying he was of the view that "some Ghanaian politicians pretend to be resolving issues when they meet you but when they get back to the office, nothing is done". The CLOGSAG has consistently raised issues with some implementation challenges of the new pay policy and has not been part of engagements with other labour unions and associations in the implementation of the policy since the beginning of the year when it held a press conference to register its position. Organised labour, that is, all other labour unions and as associations, is close to clinching a base salary with the FWSC. The base salary is the minimum salary on the single spine structure based on which all other levels on the structure will be computed by the end of the month for payment in July 2010. Mr Smith Graham said negotiations had been cordial and based on facts and figures from both sides, that is, the FWSC and organised labour, and the base pay would soon be reached. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana