Civil and Local Government Service Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) members are planning to go on strike to protest against the unfair conditions of their service, particularly the alleged 5% salary deduction into the ‘Pempamsie’ Tier 3 fund. The workers claim that they have already subscribed to the fund on their own and are mobilizing themselves across various regions to voice their grievances against their leaders who they accuse of being responsible for their plight.
One example of such protests is by concerned members of the Sefwi Wiaso Municipal Assembly (SWMA) and the Regional Coordinating Council of Western North Region who have jointly signed a petition rejecting the recent decision by CLOGSAG to deduct 5% of their salaries. The workers describe this action as an unlawful deduction of salaries and are urging CLOGSAG to immediately cease these unauthorized and wrongful deductions and to reverse them for February 2023.
The workers argue that CLOGSAG’s conduct is bringing untold hardship to its members and demonstrates insensitivity on the part of their leaders, who should be protecting their interests. They also assert that the deduction is contrary to section 3 sub-section 9 of the Pension Act 2008, Act 766, as they did not give their consent to this deduction. In their view, the provision that “a person to whom the first and second tiers apply MAY in addition to the total contributions being made by the employer, make voluntary contributions to a scheme under the third tier of the scheme” is optional. Therefore, they maintain that they have not authorized CLOGSAG to make any deductions from their salaries to be used for the “Pempamsie Fund.” Many of their members have subscribed to this fund voluntarily, and any deduction from their salaries to the same fund would be illegal.
According to sources, the workers plan to hold a press conference on April 11, 2023, to express their displeasure, followed by a court action to stop the insensitive
