The National Executive Council of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), is set to meet on Saturday, February 22, to evaluate its ongoing strike and determine the next steps.
The association began a nationwide industrial action on Thursday in protest against the continued tenure of Samuel Adom Botchway as head of the Births and Deaths Registry, despite an earlier government commitment to replace him. CLOGSAG maintains that Mr. Botchway’s role as a known National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist makes him ineligible for the position, citing the constitutional principle of neutrality in the Civil Service.
CLOGSAG’s Executive Secretary, Isaac Bampoe Addo, has reiterated that all members should comply with the strike until a new directive is issued. In a statement, he stressed that “civil servants must not involve themselves in partisan politics. Likewise, politicians must not incorporate civil servants in positions or posts.” The association has vowed to uphold its “neutrality project” to prevent political interference in the Civil Service.
Meanwhile, the government has urged CLOGSAG to reconsider its stance. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, defended the appointment, stating: “We believe that the President has acted correctly in the appointment of Mr. Adom Botchway, so we would appeal to CLOGSAG to rescind its decision to go on strike.”
However, the strike has not been uniformly observed nationwide. Reports indicate that while some regions have fully complied, others have seen members defying the directive. In the Northern Region, some CLOGSAG members have remained at post and continue to serve clients, arguing that the leadership appears to be pursuing a personal agenda rather than a collective cause.
With growing divisions within the association, the upcoming review meeting is expected to be crucial in determining the future of the industrial action.
