Association adopts cautious approach to single spine

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana said on Friday that it would not be coerced to accept the Single Spine salary structure to the detriment of its members. "We are not only interested in the early implementation of the policy but also more keen on an implementation that would not disadvantage our members", Mr James Amissah, Acting Executive Secretary of the Association, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra. He said five issues captured in the road map had not been addressed and the association found it difficult to ascertain the basis for any implementation. Mr Amissah said the government should have issued a white paper on the way forward between July 1 and August 28 after cabinet had considered memos from stakeholders. Between September 15 and December 31, there should be education on the single spine. Placing all job holders on the new Pay Structure by Fair Wages Salary Commission should have been completed by September 31. It was expected that by September 15 and November 30, Controller and Accountant-General's Department would have completed test runs on the single spine pay structure. "We know it involves a lot of work but we will not be rushed into a structure that has the likelihood to erode the gains the association has achieved so far." He said the association has communicated its concerns to the Civil Service Council, Minister of Employment and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission. "Therefore one has to tread cautiously when moving on to the Single Spine Structure," he said. Mr Amissah said the Association was not against the implementation of the new policy but warned members "to look before they leap". He said although the concerns raised were well known to members of the association and government some newspaper publications suggest that all was well with the policy.