The Civil and Local Government Service Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG),endorses the rationale for the Single Spine Salary Scheme except for the "unfair labour practice" the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has adopted in bringing the policy into fruition.
Mr Owusu Nsurodjah, Volta Regional Organiser of the Association, made this point at a meeting of members in Ho over the position of the Association regarding the new pay policy.
He said CLOGSAG considered the ten percent salary increase across board announced by the FWSC
recently as an imposition.
Mr Nsurodjah insinuated that there was nothing new in the Single Spine Salary for CLOGSAG
members on the contrary it has disadvantaged them.
He said the conversion difference in the Single Spine Salary "shows that some of us are being overpaid so we will get nothing, but will remain where we are until nobody knows when."
"We will continue talking until they listen to us," he said.
Mr Nsurodjah said the FWSC has realized that the CLOGSAG negotiation team has proved to be
tough in negotiations and had been able to secure attractive packages for its members, hence the
Commission's lack of co-operation with the Association.
He said there was nothing like "organized labour" as a singular entity negotiating on behalf of all workers, rather there were different labour unions and Associations each of
which is mandated to negotiate separately on behalf of its members.
In a petition addressed to "His Excellency The President" CLOGSAG alleged that at a meeting
attended by the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare on 23 April 2010, "it was agreed that
membership of CLOGSAG will remain on GUSS Salary structure pending the ratification of the proper
placement of our membership."
"It was also agreed that negotiations should be opened for the Association to negotiate the 2010 Salary levels on the basis of the GUSS structure. Again, an agreement was reached to set up a Technical Committee to address the concerns raised by CLOGSAG," The petition said.
The petition said "none of these agreements have been addressed. It is the feeling that an unfair labour practice is being meted on our membership, an act which seems to perpetuate institutionalized discrimination which has gone on over the years against our membership.