Civil servants and local government workers across Ghana face disruption from Monday, March 9, after the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) confirmed it will proceed with a nationwide indefinite strike despite a directive from the National Labour Commission (NLC) declaring the action unlawful.
The NLC issued a press release on March 5 ordering CLOGSAG to immediately rescind the strike declaration, invoking its powers under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651). The Commission stated that it had become aware of the strike only through media reports and found that CLOGSAG had failed to comply with mandatory procedural requirements governing industrial action. The disputing parties have been summoned to appear before the Commission on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 2pm.
CLOGSAG’s Public Relations Officer Edmund Acquaye confirmed the union’s defiance on Friday, saying the strike remains in full effect and urging all members across ministries, departments, agencies, and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to stay at home from Monday until further notice.
The strike is the culmination of years of frustration. CLOGSAG Executive Secretary Isaac Bampoe Addo, who appeared in red attire at a press conference on February 19 to signal the union’s resolve, said negotiations date back to 2019 and produced two separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with government representatives. The salary structure was first scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2023, then deferred to January 1, 2025. Neither deadline was met.
Addo also referenced assurances given during the parliamentary vetting of the current Labour Minister and criticised a decision by the former Finance Minister to implement the new salary structure for only a section of CLOGSAG members, leaving the majority without the agreed benefits.
Labour Minister Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo appealed to the union to call off the action, saying the strike had taken the government by surprise. He acknowledged the matter had been discussed with the Finance Minister and urged CLOGSAG members to trust the government’s commitment to address their concerns. The appeal did not move the union.
If sustained, the strike threatens to disrupt public administration across the country, particularly at the district assembly level where CLOGSAG members handle essential local government services. This is not the first time CLOGSAG has resorted to industrial action: a similar indefinite strike over unpaid political neutrality allowances paralysed the civil service in April 2022.
