BY Daniel Bampoe
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to immediately withdraw the controversial Tribunals Bill, 2026 from Parliament, warning that the proposed legislation could undermine public confidence in Ghana’s judicial system and revive painful memories associated with the country’s past tribunal system.
The labour union’s opposition comes at a time Parliament is considering the Public Tribunals Bill, which seeks to operationalise regional and district tribunals under provisions contained in the 1992 Constitution. The Bill has already sparked intense debate between the Minority and the Attorney General over its potential impact on the justice delivery system.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Thursday, July 16, TUC Secretary-General Joshua Ansah said organised labour was firmly opposed to the re-introduction of regional and district tribunals, insisting that the historical experience with such institutions should not be repeated.
According to him, the TUC believes the time has come for provisions relating to regional tribunals to be removed entirely from the Constitution rather than being revived through new legislation.
“The TUC is saying the Regional Tribunals must be expunged from the Constitution. The TUC is manifestly opposed to resuscitating tribunals given our bitter experience with our history,” Mr. Ansah stated.
He explained that the TUC’s position was not a reaction to recent parliamentary debates but the outcome of extensive internal discussions and nationwide consultations undertaken before the Constitution Review Committee completed its work.
Mr. Ansah disclosed that in the TUC’s memorandum submitted to the Constitution Review Committee, the organisation clearly indicated in paragraph 14 that regional tribunals were no longer relevant to the democratic governance and judicial system.
The labour union therefore urged President John Dramani Mahama and Parliament to suspend the legislative process on the Tribunals Bill and instead concentrate efforts on strengthening existing courts and improving access to justice through the current judicial structure.
According to the TUC, rather than creating additional tribunals, government should prioritise providing adequate financial, logistical and human resources to the Judiciary to improve the efficiency of the country’s courts.
“Government must halt the current legislative process enacting the Tribunals Bill, expunge tribunals from the Constitution, and take meaningful steps to resource the judiciary,” Mr. Ansah appealed.
The TUC also criticised the government’s handling of the ongoing constitutional review process, expressing disappointment that the full report of the Constitution Review Committee has not yet been published before actions are being taken on some of its recommendations.
Mr. Ansah argued that making legislative changes before making the committee’s report publicly available could undermine transparency and deny citizens the opportunity to fully appreciate the basis for the proposed constitutional and legal reforms.
The Public Tribunals Bill has become one of the most debated pieces of legislation currently before Parliament.
Earlier during parliamentary proceedings, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin described aspects of the Bill as “populist” and cautioned that establishing district and regional tribunals could create confusion within the justice delivery system and result in what he called a parallel judicial structure.
However, Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine rejected those assertions, maintaining that the Bill merely gives practical effect to Article 126 of the 1992 Constitution, which already provides for an integrated judicial system comprising regional tribunals and lower courts established by Parliament.
