... desert banking hall for the streets Accra, April 23, GNA - Staff of Bank of Ghana (BoG) on Monday deserted the cool ambience of the banking hall for the morning scorching sun as they demonstrate on the streets to register their disgust at delay in salary negotiations.

The staff adorned their official uniform of navy blue colour with red ribbon either tied around the wrist, the head, or just across any part of the body to portray their frustrations amidst the singing of local war and patriotic songs.

Occasionally vociferous men among the crowd pick a megaphone and chant out their demand for a 40 per cent pay raise, whilst the rest respond with thunderous applause, and screaming as they parade the streets in front of the Bank.

Scores of customers at the banking hall expressed their frustration to the Ghana News Agency as they said, strategically refusing to work at full strength on the first working day of the week amounts to stagnation of the economy.

"Whatever difficulties they have with their management, we should not be made to suffer unduly, we are being use as a bargaining instrument, which is very unfortunate," a distressed customer told the at 1000 hours, whiles management and senior staff association leaders were engaged in a marathon meeting.

bank across the country in anticipation of a strike action, if management fails to meet them at the negotiating table. They said BoG Management have refused to negotiate with senior staff and the Union over the wage opener in spite of the issuance of a bargaining certificate by the Labour Commission.

Management according to the source, reportedly sent a circular to the effect that, due to the magnitude of work regarding the re-denomination exercise, it will not be part of negotiations. It however indicated that it did not object to the senior staff and the union meeting coming out with terms of negotiations for consideration by management.

The senior staff is agitating for 40% pay rise in conformity with other institutions but management insists on only 10% against the endorsement of the Labour Commission.

A Management source however, accused the Senior Staff Association of attempting to use their wage issues to sabotage the re-denomination exercise because Association will not agree to give the management the mandate to negotiate on their behalf.