<<Print>>

The Local Government Workers Union (LGWU) on Tuesday said its members did not join the strike by the civil service workers because it held a different position on the market premium. Mr Joe Boahen, General Secretary of the LGWU, said their members did not join the Civil and Local Government Service Association of Ghana�s (CLOSSAG) strike because they owed different position on the market premium under the single spine salary structure. �On the Market Premium, there is a guideline for the implementation for beneficiaries in any service, which has not been done yet. Since the labour survey has not been conducted by the Authorities, one cannot determine the categories of workers who will benefit from the premium, hence our decision to our members not to embark on a needless and uncalled for Strike,� he said. Mr Boahen, however, appealed to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), the implementing body of the single spine pay policy, to expedite action on the labour survey on the Market Premium. �As a major stakeholder in the Decentralization Policy of the Government, it is our desire that this Policy is achieved,� Mr Boahen said. He said since the LGWU had the Collective Bargaining Certificate and with the mandate to organize all Local Government employees, it was logical that Local Government Service Workers best belonged to their Union other than any other body. Currently, due to the misrepresentation of the membership of the LGWU and the CLOSSAG, Mr Boahen said some members were suffering from double or wrongful deduction of union dues. He announced that the Local Government Service Secretariat, in collaboration with the LGWU, had established the 2nd Tier Occupational Scheme, under Section 1(b) of the National Pension Act (Act766), under the Scheme name Local Government Workers Occupational Pension Scheme, for all Local Government Service employees for which implementation commenced in 2012. �We are therefore taking this opportunity to remind all Local Government Service employees to ensure that they are duly registered.� The LGWU is a member of the Public Service International (PSI), International Trades Union Congress (ITUC), Africa Municipal and Local Government Unions Network (AMALGUN).