The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) has threatened to embark on an extended strike if a wage raise and back pay from January 2023 are not granted to them in a letter written to the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission.
The government has until Friday, May 12, 2023, to approve and implement the revised salary with all of the arrears from January 2023, according to the letter, which was signed by Abdulai Yakubu, the general secretary of JUSAG. If this is not done, the association will go on strike.
The letter made reference to an earlier letter from the President dated May 5, 2023, asking for acceptance of the Judicial Council's recommendation on the revision of wages and related allowances for personnel of the Judicial Service in accordance with Ghana's 1992 Constitution, Article 149.
The message recognized the nation's economic difficulties and the end of the Cost of Living Allowance in December 2022, but it also commended JUSAG members for their patience over the previous four months.
The National Labour Commission has once again been notified by the JUSAG, the union representing the judiciary, that if the request is not granted by the deadline, members would begin wearing red armbands to work on May 15, 2023, for a period of one week.
The letter further indicates that JUSAG will begin an extended strike if no clearance is granted by May 19, 2023. The association's top officials pleaded with the president to take immediate action to avoid damaging effects on the administration of justice.
Speaking through the Ghana News Agency during the National May Day parade in Bolgatanga, Mr. Yakubu urged the government to examine their pay immediately.
He emphasized that the third branch of government's crucial service provider, the members of the judicial service, were unhappy with their pay since it had not been revised in two years and four months.
He emphasized that the President needed to approve the revised wage suggestion since they had shown enough patience.