General News of Monday, 23 January 2017

Source: kasapaonline.com

Striking Attorneys to return to work after Akufo-Addo’s intervention – Gloria Akuffo

Gloria Akuffo,Attorney General-nominee Gloria Akuffo,Attorney General-nominee

Striking state attorneys will go back to post today Monday, January 23, 2017,the Attorney General-nominee, Gloria Akuffo, has disclosed.

She said  President Nana Akufo-Addo had brokered a deal in the deadlock between the Association of State Attorneys and government, hence the striking attorneys will return to work as steps were being taken to bring closure to the impasse.

During her vetting for the office of Attorney General and Minister of Justice position, Ms. Akuffo said: “The President himself has intervened in the matter and has succeeded in persuading them to go back to work. I spoke with their national president and she assured me they will be reporting, God willing, on Monday,” she stated.

Nonetheless, the Minister-designate said a meeting has been scheduled with the state attorneys on Tuesday, January 24, in the interest of finding a lasting solution to the prevailing issues.

She added: “it [the Tuesday meeting] will come on because we have to look for not only immediate and medium term solutions but also long-term solutions.

This will require the intervention of all the stakeholders; the attorneys, and it has to do with money, so maybe the fair wages commission and Ministry of Finance.”

The Association of State Attorneys has been on a three months strike over government’s failure to meet their demand for improved condition of Service.

It recently blamed the National Labour Commission(NLC) for its prolong strike.
In a letter dated 29th December, 2016, the Former Attorney General under the erstwhile Mahama administration ordered the State Attorneys to return to work or risk losing their salaries.

But the National President of the Association, Francisca Tete-Mensah called the bluff of the AG and rather blamed the National Labour Commission(NLC) for the impasse.