By Nadia Ntiamoah
The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) has declared a nationwide strike action to take effect from March 9, 2026, following years of unresolved negotiations with the government over the implementation of a unique salary structure and improved conditions of service for workers in the civil and local government sectors.
The decision, which threatens to disrupt public administration across the country, follows what the union describes as persistent government failure to honour agreements reached as far back as 2019.
At an emergency meeting held on Thursday, February 19, 2026, in Accra, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana reviewed the stalled negotiations and assessed the state of engagement between the union and government institutions. NEC members were taken through the historical journey of the negotiations, which began in 2019 and eventually led to the signing of two separate Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the union and government agencies, committing the state to introduce a distinct salary structure and enhanced conditions of service for staff within the civil and local government system.
According to the NEC, these agreements were based on the understanding that the new salary structure and related benefits would take retrospective effect from January 1, 2023. However, more than three years after the agreed effective date, the union says the government has failed to implement any aspect of the deal, creating deep frustration among workers who feel their concerns have been ignored and their status within the public service system consistently undermined.
Union leaders accused the government of treating civil and local government staff “as minors” within the broader public sector framework, arguing that while other categories of public workers have benefited from structured reforms and negotiated improvements in pay and conditions, their members have been left behind despite formal agreements.
They further disclosed that several official communications and formal correspondences sent to key state institutions — including the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission — have gone unanswered.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, the leadership of CLOGSAG said the decision to embark on industrial action was not taken lightly but had become inevitable after years of unproductive engagement and broken promises.
The NEC resolved that unless the government urgently honours its side of the signed agreements, all members across the civil service and local government structures would withdraw their services nationwide from March 9, 2026.
The union emphasized that the planned strike is not only about salaries but also about dignity, institutional recognition, and fair treatment within the public service architecture.
They warned that the industrial action would significantly affect administrative operations at district, municipal, metropolitan, and central government levels, with potential ripple effects on service delivery nationwide.
With less than three weeks to the strike date, pressure is now mounting on the government to re-engage the union, reopen negotiations, and implement the agreed salary structure and conditions of service to avert what could become one of the most disruptive public sector shutdowns in recent years.
