BY NADIA NTIAMOAH
The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) has maintained its industrial action, insisting that the ongoing strike will not be called off until the government approves the Judicial Council’s substantive advice on the members’ conditions of service.
The association says resolving the outstanding approval concerns must take precedence over discussions about the payment of salary arrears, warning that any payment arrangement without addressing the underlying issue would fail to settle the dispute.
JUSAG General Secretary, Abdulai Yakubu, reiterated the position on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, during an interview on Channel One Newsroom, following renewed engagements with key stakeholders aimed at ending the strike.
According to him, the association had consulted the Judicial Council, which continued to maintain that approval of its substantive advice was a necessary condition for calling off the industrial action.
“We have made our position clear that approval of the substantive advice is the pre-condition for calling off the strike. But we consulted with the Judicial Council today, and that is the position that the Council still maintains,” he stated.
Yakubu disclosed that JUSAG had held several meetings with important stakeholders, including the Chief Justice, Judicial Service Management, the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, and the Attorney General.
He described the engagement with the Attorney General as encouraging, explaining that the minister demonstrated a better understanding of the association’s concerns because he was involved in the process that led to the development of the conditions of service instrument.
He said the Attorney General had assured the association that he would engage the Finance Minister to explore ways of addressing the outstanding demands.
Despite the engagements, however, JUSAG maintains that the government must first approve the revised conditions of service in line with the Judicial Council’s advice before discussions on arrears payment can lead to a resolution.
Salary arrears proposal fails to address core concern
The association has also responded to a proposed arrangement by the Finance Minister to settle outstanding salary arrears in two instalments.
Yakubu indicated that JUSAG was not necessarily opposed to the proposed payment arrangement but argued that the government must first resolve the substantive approval issue upon which the arrears are based.
He explained that setting payment timelines without addressing disagreements surrounding the approval of the conditions of service would not resolve the fundamental concerns that triggered the strike.
“You give timelines for payment of arrears based on the substantive approval. When there are issues with the substantive approval, and you go to give timelines for payment of the arrears, you are not really solving the issues,” he said.
The association is therefore demanding an approval that reflects the Judicial Council’s advice before considering arrangements for settling the outstanding payments.
Cites 10 months of engagements before strike
The General Secretary further defended the decision to embark on industrial action, saying the association had spent approximately 10 months engaging the government before resorting to the strike.
The organisers have invited legal practitioners, policymakers, businesses, students, civil society organisations and members of the public interested in consumer rights and competition law to participate in the discussion.
