The call was made during the 2025 May Day celebration held at Chinderi in the Krachi Nchumuru district, amid growing dissatisfaction with current employment terms.

CLOSAG members argue that existing conditions are not only inadequate but also fail to motivate workers to perform at their best. They have called for a comprehensive review of these conditions to ensure that employees feel valued and supported in their roles.

Key demands include better salaries, improved working environments, enhanced job security, and the introduction of incentive packages aimed at retaining skilled workers in the public sector. They expressed concern over the rapid wealth accumulation of politicians while in office and suggested that attractive incentives could help address this issue.

The proposed incentive packages could include bonuses, professional development opportunities, and other benefits to reward current employees and attract new talent to public service.

Rev. Henry Owoo, the Oti Regional Coordinating Director, emphasized the urgent need for government intervention to address these concerns and ensure public sector workers are properly compensated. He also encouraged government workers to consider postings in the Oti Region, assuring them that measures would be taken to improve motivation in the area.

The chief director remains hopeful that the government will take these concerns seriously and implement meaningful changes to improve the working conditions of public servants in the Oti Region and beyond.

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The government is currently seeking a $3 billion dollar bailout from the International Monetary Fund to revive the ailing economy. To get the support it has embarked on a domestic debt restructuring programme.

Pension funds were initially exempted from the debt exchange programme, but the Finance Minister in a recent interview said discussions were underway with labour unions to see how their pension funds can be used to help the government meet certain targets.

But speaking as part of the May Day Celebration on the theme, ‘Protecting our Pensions and Incomes Now to Avert Old Age Crisis’ the Deputy Executive Secretary of the association, Kojo Krakrani, said it will continue to fight for better working conditions for its members.

According to the Executive Secretary of the Association, Isaac Bampoe Addo, there was evidence that the ‘ghost names’ that could not be identified on the public payroll were Personal Assistants of some Ministers of state.

Speaking at the Fifth Nathan Annang Quao Lectures on the theme “Abuse of political power in the Ghanaian Civil Service: the bane of National Development,” Mr Bampoe Addo said politicians had interfered with Civil Service principles over the years.

He further indicated that politicians had abused the use of political power by outsourcing consultancy services to political party apparatchiks.

“Recruiting of Party apparatchiks as consultants to perform routine Civil Service functions and paying them higher salaries thus ballooning the Civil Service wage bill as reported in the 2020 auditor general’s report for MMDAs… Evidence reveals that the so-called ghost names that cannot be identified in the civil service payroll have turned out to be personal assistants of politicians,” Mr Bampoe Addo said.

He said the outsourcing of Civil Service functions had affected the quality of service provided by Civil Service organisations as they were undertaken without the required institutional guidance and expertise.

Mr Bampoe Addo also stated that foreign training and development workshops had been hijacked by politicians and party functionaries to the detriment of the Civil Service.

The Association in a statement said the neutrality allowance formed part of a Memorandum of Understanding entered into with the government on January 20, 2022.

According to CLOSAG, despite official reminders and follow ups to the Finance Ministry, payment of the allowance has not been effected after more than three months as agreed.

“It was noted that the neutrality allowance has not been effected as agreed in spite of official reminders and follow-ups to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

“The National Executive Council (NEC), therefore, decided that CLOGSAG should embark on an industrial action to press home its demand for the implementation of the MoU,” the statement said.

CLOGSAG said it has, therefore, served notice to the National Labour Commission, the Civil Service Council, Local Government Service Council, National Security Minister and the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations of the intended strike.

CLOSAG urged its regional secretaries to ensure all its members comply with the directive.

Below is the full statement:

According to the Association, a year after their proposed salary structure was sent to the Finance Ministry to deal with it, it is yet to communicate anything to them despite persistent reminders.

Speaking at the end of year meeting and awards ceremony held in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of the Central Region, Executive Secretary of CLOSAG, Dr Isaac Bampoe Addo, said the Association feels sidelined, which leaves them with no option other than declaring an industrial action.  

He said CLOGSAG realised that all other services had an enhanced salary structure apart from the civil service.

Explaining the issues pertaining to their conditions of service, Dr Bampoe-Addo stated that CLOGSAG proposed before the joint meeting of the Local Government Service Council and the Civil Service Council was based on what was happening in other services were limited in other partisan activities in the constitution.

According to him, it drew its salary structure based on what others also had and presented it to the joint meeting, which was accepted.

Dr Isaac Bampoe-Addo further said the proposed salary structure went before cabinet, which directed the matter to be dealt with.

He further said a year after the proposed salary structure went to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry hasn’t dealt with their issue and come January, they will lay down their tools.

“That, we at the National Secretariat, are taking steps to declare a nationwide strike on January 20, 2022. Come that day, all of us are staying at home, we won’t work.

“This business of monkey dey work, baboon dey chop, we won’t allow it. We’ve had various national executive council meetings on this issue, and I think our patience has run out. This is justice denied,” he stated.

He added, “Better conditions of service are not won on a silver platter, they are fought for, and this is the time to fight for ours.”

Central Regional Secretary of CLOGSAG, Adam Nuhu, called on all members to stay alert and be on guard to lay down their tools if the government fails to fulfil their terms and conditions by January.

He commended the members for their hard work towards the country’s development.

Municipal Chief Executive for Upper Denkyira East, Ebenezer Forson Appiah, applauded the workers of CLOSAG for contributing immensely towards the upliftment of the municipality in terms of development.

He congratulated all the awardees and charged them to continue their hard work.

CLOGSAG has accused Richard Ebbah Obeng of “interfering in the work of the Local Government Service”.

In a statement, signed but its Executive Secretary, the Association said that Mr Obeng had “erroneously arrogated to himself the power to post officers of the Local Government Service.

“He has also directed his Personal Assistant to lock up the office of one of the two officers who had been posted by the Regional Minister,” the statement continued.

The Association has described the situation as a “clear indication of political harassment which should not be exhibited in our current democratic dispensation.”

“Evidence available shows that the Hon. Regional Minister posted two Assistant Directors of the Local Government Service in contravention of existing procedure for postings,” part of the statement reads.

CLOGSAG mentioned that it had “earlier advised the Hon. Minister to rescind his decision but to no avail.”

They have warned that “if by Friday, 26th November 2021, the postings have not been reserved, the Association would be compelled to convene an Emergency National Executive Council meeting to pave way for further action.”

Below is the full statement:

CLOGSAG is made up of 12 labour unions, making it the country’s largest workforce.

The forum is made up of teacher unions – GNAT, NAGRAT and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana, the Ghana Medical Association and many others working in key public institutions.

According to CLOGSAG’s Executive Secretary, Dr Isaac Bampoe Addo, their Tier 2 pension contributions are being held illegally in the Public Sector Workers Employee’s Pension Scheme.

The association also alleges that ¢53 million has been siphoned from their members’ tier 2 pension contributions instead of transferring it to the workers’ desired pension manager, the Hedge Pensions Master Trust.

“To correct such a discrepancy, the workers have written to the management about their preference for the Hedge Pensions Master Trust occupational pension scheme established by CLOGSAG,” he added.

Mr Kwame Tawiah, the Western Regional Secretary of the CLOSAG, at a press conference on Friday, said he did not understand why the National CLOSAG Executive had been silent on the matter adding; “We do not want to believe that the National Executive is in bed with the ruling government, come out and explain issues to us”.

According to him nothing had been said about the implementation and that; “for the past six months, we have not heard anything concerning the agreement from our national executive”.

Mr Tawiah said as a matter of urgency, the National Executive must come out and update the regions on the modalities regarding the payment plan.

“I urge you to wake up and fight for your members…your continuous laxity on your core mandate will affect the future of members,” he said.

Mr Tawiah, however, issued a two-week ultimatum to the National Executive to press government to fulfil the contents of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or “resign honourably for new executives to be elected to fight for members”.

It would be recalled that the CLOSAG cancelled a nationwide strike after an MOU was signed by government and the National Executive Council to facilitate the speedy implementation of the market premium.