Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has stated that he is not perturbed by the threats from the Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), Dr. Bampoe Addo.

According to him, the comments by the CLOGSAG Secretary, is a playful relief, which is needed amidst the difficulties in the country.

Reacting to the threats in the Ga dialect, on Top Story on Tuesday Mr. Cudjoe remarked, "I am not afraid".

At a press conference on Tuesday, Dr. Bampoe Addo threatened that he and his colleagues will inject Mr. Franklin Cudjoe with Largactil and smear him with pepper, if he continues to criticise their demands.

But responding to this, Franklin Cudjoe dismissed the comment, adding that, he actually considers the concerns of CLOGSAG as serious.

" I do take their issues seriously. I'm just saying that I do not think the christening of the neutrality allowance makes sense because they're already neutral", he said on Top Story.

Over the past couple of days, CLOGSAG has come under intense public criticism, after the group initiated an industrial action over the failure of government to pay their neutrality allowance.

According to them, since they are not allowed to participate in politics as civil servants, there is the need for government to be prompt in paying their 'neutrality allowance' amongst other entitlements due them.

But policy expert, Franklin Cudjoe disagreed with the name of the allowance. Reiterating his stance on Top Story, he added that CLOGSAG should have thought of changing the nomenclature of the 'neutrality allowance', since by their existence, they are already neutral.

"Nobody is quarreling with them concerning their conditions of service. And indeed, I must admit that there's a general price increase in the country. Inflation is almost 19 percent, and if organised labour is asking for a raise, they are well within their rights to ask for that.

But to take the issue of neutrality, which defines the existence of the the civil service and negotiate on that basis, that obviously was what gored the ox of many people including myself", he stated.

In a related development, labour consultant, Austin Gamey has urged the government to immediately resolve the prevailing labour issues between the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG).

He said the government would suffer dire consequences if it fails to unite the two parties since it would then need to satisfy the demands of each party separately.

The Trades Union Congress had announced that it will demand a neutrality allowance for its members if the government fulfils the demand by CLOGSAG.

Speaking on Top Story, Tuesday, Mr. Gamey noted that the current situation, bad as it is, is not unsurmountable.

“If I were to be in their shoes, I will find a way for the two sides to be united because they, government as an employer also would be the loser because they would have to satisfy here and satisfy the other part and the consequences are very offending to the other stakeholders in the country.

“The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations would have to find ways and means to unite the two giants together to have a good conversation and resolve their differences and get along, otherwise the nation would be the loser", he stated.

Director of Research at the TUC, Kwabena Otoo earlier warned that its 36 institutions would in the interest of fairness also demand a neutrality allowance if CLOGSAG is given a neutrality allowance.

“It is important that those whose rights have been suspended who are being compensated with the neutrality allowance, we make it comprehensive and here I have a list. The Electoral Commission they are not supposed to do politics, our members ought to be compensated with neutrality allowance.

“The National Media Commission, the National Commission for Civic Education in fact I have a list of 36 such institutions in the public sector that are not members of CLOGSAG but are our members and in the interest of fairness this neutrality allowance ought to apply to them and we will make sure that it applies to them, that one you can take my word for it”, he said.

But in a press conference on Tuesday, CLOGSAG blamed the TUC for acting in bad faith by signing a declaration in March, 2020 on the blind side of other unions.

CLOGSAG for this reason has declared it will not join the TUC for this year’s May Day celebrations.

“The declaration was signed on the blind side of other unions. The TUC is throwing dust into the eyes of workers considering the period 2023 salary negotiations and that will be part of the 2023 budget statement. These consultations are untenable per the declaration that the TUC signed.

CLOGSAG regrets due to the recent unfortunate developments on the labour front, we are unable to collaborate with the TUC Ghana in the celebration of this year’s May Day. The Association would independently organize activities in all the 16 regions of the country in commemoration of this important landmark in the midst of worker’s trouble”, Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo announced.