Accra, June 30, GNA - The impending nation-wide peaceful demonstration declared by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) is gathering momentum with the wearing of red bands by its members as a prelude the planned event. The 45,000-member strong CLOGSAG is supposed to undertake a nation-wide peaceful demonstration on Thursday, July 8, to press for their rights to negotiate for the 2010 salary increases on its own, a demand the Fair Wages Commission (FWC) is rejecting, and rather urging the Association to do so under the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

At a meeting organized by the Grater Accra Regional Branch of CLOGSAG, Mr Tennese Foli, Acting National President of CLOGSAG, explained that one of the reasons for the demonstration was that "the FWC is not allowing us to negotiate on our own."

He said, "We have the legal backing by the 1992 constitution to negotiate by ourselves not under the (TUC)."

Mr Joseph L. A. Quarshie, Regional Secretary for CLOGSAG, called for greater involvement of members in the demonstration as an expression of support for the Association.

He said the climax of the event would be the presentation of a petition to government and that if by 1800hrs on the scheduled day there was no favourable response the demonstration would continue. He alleged that for far too long the FWC had been misleading the government as well as the public on the presentation of facts, adding that the truth would emerge finally.