Civil servants ask govt to adopt holistic method

The Civil Servants Association of Ghana (CSAG) has called on the government to adopt a more holistic approach to wage and salary rationalisation and other conditions of service of workers in the country.

The Association deplored the selective justice accorded organisations and associations, which use threats of strikes to back their demands.

Commenting on the threat by the Greater Accra Council of Labour to lay down their tools to back demands for the restoration of the End of Service Benefits (ESB), the Association’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Smart Chigabatia contended that it is “bad industrial practice for government to respond positively to concerns of individual unions and professional associations only after they threaten to lay down their tools.

Even though the leadership of the association is against the use of threats of strikes and demonstrations to back demands for improved service conditions, including the restoration of the ESB and Pensions Chapter 30 (CAP 30), any attempt by government to adopt “piece meal approach’ to the problem, will trigger off workers agitation.

It was wrong for the previous government to suspend and abolish the payment of ESB and CAP 30 respectively for a section of government workers, Chigabatia said.

Other government institutions such as the Ghana Armed Forces, the Police and Fire Services continue to enjoy the CAP 30 while civil servants have been put on SSNIT pension, which according to the CSAG scribe, is neither motivating nor rewarding.

Citing proposals for the improvement in the service conditions of medical doctors and secretaries to ministers, Mr. Chigabatia said it is one sore mark of discrimination. He asked that same treatment be given to other categories of professionals and workers.

He called on the government to restore the CAP 30 as well as the ESB and also encourage individual pension scheme to complement that of SSNIT.

Meanwhile, government is yet to come out clearly on the subject. But the ministry for Manpower Development and Employment has been holding series of meetings with stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the problem. Government is keeping the cards close to its chest as to whether it will find the money to reintroduce the paying of the ESB.