“Fraudulent” neutrality allowance must be scrapped – Franklin Cudjoe

The President of IMANI-Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has described as fraudulent, the neutrality allowance paid to civil service workers in the country.

According to him, there can be no legal justification for the payment of such an allowance when the 1992 Constitution mandates civil servants to steer clear of partisan politics.

This follows a nationwide strike by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) effective today, Thursday, April 21, 2022, over the government’s failure to pay its members their neutrality allowance.

“It was noted that the Neutrality Allowance has not been effected as agreed despite official reminders and follow-ups to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. The National Executive Council (NEC) therefore decided that CLOGSAG should embark on industrial action to press home its demand for the implementation of the MoU,” the statement signed by the Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe Addo read.

But speaking to Accra-based Joy FM, Mr Cudjoe said the allowance should be scrapped totally insisting it is wrong for the government to pay it.

“The whole idea behind civil service work or public service work is rooted in the principle of neutrality, anonymity and permanent. It is wrong; it definitely should be scrapped.”