The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) and the Senior Staff Association of the Judicial Service of Ghana (SSAJUG) have suspended their indefinite strike, effective Tuesday, November 10, 2026, pending the finalisation of commitments from government.
The decision was announced in a joint statement dated Monday, November 9, 2026, signed by JUSAG National President, Samuel Afotey Otu, and SSAJUG National President, Marilyn E. M. Suttah, for and on behalf of the National Executive Councils of both unions.
According to the statement, the leadership of JUSAG and SSAJUG on Monday received official correspondence from the Office of the President regarding the outstanding issues on the review of salaries and related allowances for staff of the Judicial Service.
The leadership also held a meeting with Management, led by the Chief Justice of the Republic and supported by His Lordship Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang and the Judicial Secretary, to consider the revised approval issued by the Government.
“The revised position of the Government largely addressed the outstanding issues. The leadership, in turn, submitted a revised position on the commitments received from the Office of His Excellency the President as a final path towards ending the industrial action,” the statement said.
“In view of this development, JUSAG and SSAJUG have resolved to suspend the strike action effective Tuesday, 10th November 2026 pending the finalisation of the commitments.”
The unions commended President John Dramani Mahama, Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic A. Ayine, Judicial Secretary Mr Ahamed Musah, and the Management of the Judicial Service for their dedicated leadership which led to the resolution of the impasse.
They also thanked all staff for their unwavering support throughout the strike, and the media for their professional reportage on the industrial action.
Background
The suspension brings to an end a week-long shutdown of the courts that began on Monday, November 2, 2026.
JUSAG had declared an indefinite nationwide strike on October 30, 2026, over what it said was the Government’s failure to approve and pay reviewed salaries and allowances for its members.
The union, led by General Secretary Abdulai Yakubu, directed all Judicial Service staff not to report for work until the President approved the reviewed salaries and paid them in November, together with arrears covering January to October 2026.
JUSAG based its demand on Article 149 of the 1992 Constitution and the Judicial Service (Terms and Conditions of Service) Regulations, C.I. 141, which provide for an annual salary review on the advice of the Judicial Council.
The association said it had notified the National Labour Commission (NLC) on October 23 of its intention to strike, after efforts since December 2025 to secure the 2026 salary review had yielded no results. It had also rejected a Ministry of Finance proposal to pay the arrears in instalments without a clear timeline.
From November 2, court registries across the country were shut and court proceedings halted, leaving litigants stranded. The Supreme Court sat on November 3 and 4 on the orders of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, but JUSAG later directed even Supreme Court staff to stay away.
On Sunday, November 8, JUSAG and SSAJUG extended the strike, saying they had received no official feedback by 4:00 p.m. that day to their revised final demand submitted to government on Thursday, November 5.
The strike also drew concern over access to justice. On Monday, November 9, the Centre for Legitimacy and Rule of Law (CLRL) estimated that more than 2,000 people arrested since the strike began had been unable to obtain judicial decisions on their bail or remand status, in breach of the constitutional requirement that an arrested person be brought before a court within 48 hours.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament had also urged President Mahama to personally intervene to resolve the dispute.
With Monday’s suspension, court staff are expected to return to work on Tuesday, November 10, while the unions await finalisation of the commitments from the Presidency.
