CLOGSAG CRIES OVER SABOTAGE

Isaac Bampoe-Addo, Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu
Monday, December 23, 2013

Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) has accused the government of allowing private companies to take over the functions of some state departments.

To add salt to injury, they said the private companies use facilities of the state as well as government workers to execute their contracts.

Isaac Bampoe-Addo, Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG made the complaint at the association’s Thanksgiving Day held in Accra on Friday to round off activities of the year.

“CLOGSAG has observed with dismay, the current practice of virtually allowing private companies to take over the legitimate functions of some state departments, while using their facilities and workers. This approach is really tantamount to giving a dog a bad name and hanging it.”

Mr. Bampoe-Addo also said that undue politicization of the service, intimidation of workers by political figures as well low key attention paid to the Public Sector Reforms Programme “are disturbing the structure of civil and local government services.”

He said for instance that the ‘proceed-on-leave’ situation without recourse to their conditions of service as well as the open declaration by some newly appointed politicians that they would not work with some members of the association was not helping matters.

Mr. Bampoe-Addo said some of their members had faced intimidation and had to endure extreme hardship.

He said the outsourcing of revenue collection to private companies without proper supervision and accountability had led to significant revenue losses.

“We believe in public-private partnership that enhances growth of public institutions but not the type that is collapsing public establishments, departments and agencies.”

CLOGSAG members praising God

CLOGSAG urged the government to take a sober reflection of the Public Sector Reform Programme and the benefits saying “if priority is given to the sector and the reforms are pursued it will serve as catalyst in the public private partnership being touted.”

Very Reverend Henry Ampaw-Asiedu, Superintendent Minister of the Kokomlemle Circuit of the Methodist Church of Ghana underscored the need for workers to “unlock” their potential for national development.