CLOGSAG FROWNS ON NEW NSS SALARY

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday, December 23, 2016

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) wants the National Service Scheme (NSS) to explain how it arrived at the 40 percent salary increment for National Service Personnel.

According to Isaac Bampoe-Addo, Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, all public sector institutions agreed on a 12.5% salary increment.

He wondered why NSS had been given an increment which is far beyond that figure.

On the sidelines of a thanksgiving service organized for CLOGSAG staff in Accra yesterday, Executive Secretary said, “To the best of our knowledge, a 12.5% has been agreed by all public institutions so they have to explain how they came by that 40% for the personnel.”

A memo released on December 14 from the Ministry of Finance put the new monthly allowance at GH¢559.04 from GH¢350.

The decision has set tongues wagging since many believe the outgoing NDC government which has barely three weeks to leave office, is not acting in bad faith while others have suggested that such decisions should have been left with the incoming Akufo-Addo-led NPP government.

Addressing the members, Mr. Bampoe-Addo said that the 5% salary deductions towards the 2^nd Tier Pension for September and October, 2016 had been transferred to the nominated custodian banks.

He said a technical team comprising representatives from the National Pension Regulatory Authority (NPRA), the public sector unions/associations had been constituted to ensure that all issues relating to pensions are resolved by June 2017.

He also said that CLOGSAG would not allow the incoming government to intimidate civil servants over perceive political allegiance, saying “the association would come to the aid of any member who finds himself in such a situation.

“Let us also be cautious of our utterances and deeds that may undermine our colleagues in our anxiety to court the attention of the new administration. Such perpetrators would be exposed and shamed for indulging in this bad practice,” he said.

He said CLOGSAG has filed a suit at the Supreme Court, challenging the exclusion of civil and local government staff from participating in the processes leading to the selection of MPs under Article 94 (36) of the constitution.