The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Kwadaso Municipality, Eric Assibey, has expressed concern over the widespread impact of the ongoing strike by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) on local governance. Speaking on the third day of the industrial action, he said the strike is slowing down operations and affecting essential services across municipal departments.
“Strikes shouldn’t be encouraged in any workplace at all. In fact, at this municipality, we’re lucky the cleaners are funded through Internal Generated Funds, so they’re not part of the strike; otherwise, we might not have access to the washrooms. If someone says the strike hasn’t had any negative impact on metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, that’s not true,” Mr Assibey said.
He explained that many local government workers are CLOGSAG members, which has left critical offices across the municipality closed, making it almost impossible to accomplish routine tasks. A visit to the municipality confirmed that, apart from the MCE’s office, all departmental offices were shut.
The MCE highlighted that the lack of staff has left residents seeking essential services unattended. He stressed the need for dialogue between the striking workers and the government to resolve the impasse.
“I will appeal to the leaders of the striking workers to take into account the financial strain on the government when it comes to meeting the needs of all public sector employees across the country. So when they sit for a roundtable discussion, they should consider and cooperate with the government because the government won’t intentionally do anything to bring hardship on them,” he added.
Mr Assibey expressed confidence that the government, through the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the Ministry of Finance, will address the demands of CLOGSAG, allowing the strike to be called off and workers to resume duties.
“I humbly urge our President, whom I trust greatly, to lend an ear and resolve the strike issue immediately so workers can return to their jobs. Otherwise, crucial municipal work might be delayed,” he said.
The strike, which began earlier this week, has drawn attention to the vital role of local government staff in ensuring the smooth delivery of services and the challenges municipalities face when industrial action disrupts daily operations.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com