The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) says its demand for neutrality allowance is appropriate and justified.

According to the Association, it will continue to strike until government fully commits to paying the money.

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.

The neutrality allowance is to ensure that civil and local government workers do not engage in partisanship while conducting their affairs when they are in their various offices.

Head of the Local Government Service, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, told JoyNews members of the Civil and Local Government Service Staff Association (CLOGSAG) have agreed to call off their strike and return to work.

But the Executive Secretary of the Association, Isaac Bampoe-Addo at a press conference on Tuesday said the strike is still on.

According to him, the industrial action will only be called off when the government is firm on its promise to pay them the neutrality allowance.

“We went into negotiations with the government team led by Osafo Marfo. We had Finance Ministry represented. Fair Wages and Salaries was there. Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations was also there so if you people are saying we have outwitted and played a fast one on them, it is a negotiation and we should be congratulated for doing a good job,” he said on Tuesday.

Since it became public knowledge that civil service workers are demanding an allowance in order to be neutral, many Ghanaians have criticised the idea.

Notable amongst them was the President of IMANI-Africa, Franklin Cudjoe who described it as a fraudulent arrangement that should be scrapped.

Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG)  Emmanuel Akwetey, said it is unethical for civil servants to ask for such an allowance.

He maintained that any civil worker who is interested in politics should resign.

However, Mr Bampoe-Addo is unperturbed by the criticisms.

Defending their stance, he said, “this neutrality allowance we are demanding is only a minute aspect of the broader condition of service so if anyone is against it the person should go and sleep or go to court.”