President John Mahama has urged members of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) to end their industrial action and return to work since acceding to their interim premium payment demand will throw the budget off course.

Mr Mahama pointed out that 2016 is an election year and the country’s budget must be adhered to in order to prevent any financial crisis.

“I intend to stay strictly to the budget target and the Appropriations Act as approved by parliament. This is why I appeal to CLOGSAG members to return to work because acceding to demands to pay interim premiums will throw the budget completely off track and make nonsense of the sacrifices we have made over the last year,” he stated.

Mr Mahama, who was speaking on Wednesday, 10 August at the 10th quadrennial delegates’ congress of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Kumasi, promised: “It is government’s intention to implement a comprehensive policy on payment of premiums starting from next year.”

He has, therefore, directed the Labour and Employment Ministry to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CLOGSAG concerning the implementation of premiums.

Members of CLOGSAG began a nationwide strike from Wednesday July 27. According to CLOGSAG, government had failed to include its members in the payment of the interim premium while other public sector workers continued to enjoy it.

The interim premium is an additional allowance paid under the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).