The Divisional Executive Council of Public Services Workers’ Union of TUC (Ghana) – National Identification Authority (NIA) Division, has notified the Executive Secretary, Prof Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, of their intention to embark on a strike action commencing March 25, 2024.
The staff explained that they took this decision because some allowances due them have not been paid.
“We hereby bring to the attention of Management, that, we shall proceed on an indefinite strike on Monday, 25th March 2024 if: The proposed and submitted allowances to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission as indicated by the Executive Secretary during his regional working visit are not implemented to reflect on our March 2024 payslip,” portions of a press release issued by the Union reads.
Please read full statement below:
Our intention is based on the following unresolved issues:
- Full Implementation of Existing Conditions of Service Document: Point 15, on page 5, of your letter dated 17th November 2023 with Ref: NIA-R/PSWU/VI/006 under the Subject; RE: SUBMISSION OF
UNION GRIEVANCES FOR YOUR SWIFT INTERVENTION, states that: “The Conditions of Service document has always existed and been used to employ, promote, discipline, reward and remunerate NIA employees since at least July 2008 when the current Executive Secretary succeeded Prof. Ernest Dumor as Executive Secretary in July 2008;”.
In line with the above statement, we have indeed observed in recent times the specific citing of this Conditions of Service document in interdicting and dismissing staff of the Authority. However, none of the allowances due to staff as provided for in the current CoS document have reflected on our payslips since at least November 2021, when most of us were employed by the Authority.
Implementation of the Proposed Conditions of Service: Management informed the staff in March 2023 that they have submitted some proposed allowances purported to be fitting as our conditions of service to Fair Wages and Salaries Commission in 2022. We are in 2024, and yet nothing has been felt.
Negotiations on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA): The union submitted a draft CBA in September 2023 at the request of Management. All immediate attempts at that time for Management to constitute a Joint Standing Negotiation Committee (JSNC) to begin and conclude negotiations proved futile. Maintaining good faith, we again in a joint letter issued with our sister union, ICU, on February 20th, 2024, requested for a meeting with Management to reconstitute the JSNC. That letter, although you have confirmed receipt has still not been responded to.
Approval of Scheme of Service (SoS): We believe Management has unduly delayed in working on the Scheme of Service document of NIA; an important policy document that outlines HR functions such as recruitment, job classification, promotion, performance management, training, and succession management. This belief has further been strengthened by Public Service Commission’s (PSC) letter of response to the National Labour Commission (NLC), dated February 29, 2024, which indicates that since the validation of the SoS in October 2023, “the NIA has not referred the Scheme of Service document to PSC for its final approval”.
We hereby bring to the attention of Management, that, we shall proceed on an indefinite strike on Monday, 25th March 2024 if:
The proposed and submitted allowances to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission as indicated by the Executive Secretary during his regional working visit are not implemented to reflect on our March 2024 payslip.
All allowances due us with arrears up to February 2024, from the dates of appointment, as contained in the existing conditions of service pursuant to sections 2.3.2, 2.3.3, 9.4.5iv, & 9.4.10, do not reflect on our March 2024 payslip.
The Scheme of Service (SOS) is not approved and implemented by March 25, 2024.
The Draft Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of the Unions are not negotiated by March 25, 2024.
Failure to meet these requests on or before the stated date would be met with an industrial strike action. All union members nationwide: at the Head Office, Regional Offices, Premium Centers, and District Offices will lay down our tools until our concerns are addressed fully.