The National Labour Commission (NLC) is expected to meet the leadership of the Judicial Service Association of Ghana (JUSAG) before the close of the week to address its salary concerns.
According to the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah, the leadership of JUSAG flouted an earlier directive but promised to address their concerns.
“Unfortunately when we recalled the case they said they were coming. We called for the third time and they had descended so we called for them and all we could hear was that, they had left and rather declared a strike.”
Courts nationwide are currently inactive because of strike action by JUSAG over unpaid adjustments in salaries and approval of conditions of service
President of JUSAG, Samuel Affotey, criticised government for not considering their grievances.
“The agreement was that they should call a meeting, they should call JUSAG, Judicial Service Management, Office of the President as well as Ministry of Finance so when we meet then we report back to the Commission with the outcome of the meeting. But nothing happened,” he said on Accra-based TV3.
JUSAG leaders on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, summoned members to an emergency meeting, presumably to declare the indefinite strike, after ultimatum issued to government to address demands for the approval of salary increases and payment of arrears from January 2023 expired on May 19.
The association says it had previously written to President Nana Akufo-Addo to approve the recommendation of the Judicial Council for a review of salaries and related allowances for staff of the Judicial Service in line with Article 149 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
JUSAG also complained about the withdrawal of the Cost of Living Allowance in December 2022, amid the economic difficulties in the country, concluding that its members had shown patience enough.
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