The General Secretary of the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), Abdulai Yakubu, says the association is encouraged by the government’s proposed payment of 10 months’ salary arrears owed its members, but insists that it is not the main issue behind the ongoing strike.
He says the key concern is the substantive approval and implementation of the revised conditions of service recommended by the Judicial Council.
Speaking on 3FM Hot Edition on Friday, November 6, Mr Yakubu said the steps taken so far by the government had not resolved the issues at hand.
He described the Finance Ministry’s proposal on the payment of the arrears as an encouraging development, but maintained that the association’s main concern remained the approval of the revised conditions of service.
Mr Yakubu explained that the salary arrears arose from the delay in reviewing their salaries for 2026.
On whether the strike would continue, he said “the association is engaging Management, the Ministry of Labour and the Attorney General’s Department to determine the best way forward.”
He added that “the government’s revised proposal on the substantive approval of the conditions of service would be considered by the Judicial Council.”
Background
JUSAG embarked on an indefinite strike to press home demands for improved conditions of service for staff of the Judicial Service.
The association has long argued that its members’ salaries and allowances have not kept pace with the rising cost of living and the critical nature of their work in supporting the administration of justice across the country.
Central to the dispute is the revised conditions of service recommended by the Judicial Council, the body mandated to advise on matters relating to the Judicial Service. JUSAG contends that despite the Council’s recommendations, the government has been slow to give the substantive approval needed for implementation.
The delay in the 2026 salary review has also resulted in 10 months’ salary arrears, which the Ministry of Finance has now proposed to pay. While JUSAG welcomes the move, its leadership says payment of the arrears alone will not end the strike without a firm commitment on the conditions of service.
The strike has affected court operations nationwide, with many courts unable to sit, causing delays in the hearing of cases and inconvenience to litigants, lawyers and the public.
Negotiations involving JUSAG, Judicial Service management, the Ministry of Labour and the Attorney General’s Department are ongoing to find a lasting resolution to the impasse.
