The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) says the government’s proposal to pay 10 months of salary arrears is encouraging, but insists that approval of revised conditions of service remains the central issue behind its indefinite strike.
JUSAG General Secretary Abdulai Yakubu said the proposed arrears payment did not address the association’s main demand: the substantive approval and implementation of revised conditions of service recommended by the Judicial Council.
Speaking on 3FM Hot Edition on Friday, November 6, Mr Yakubu said the measures announced by the government so far had not resolved the dispute.
He described the Finance Ministry’s proposal to settle the arrears as a positive development, but said it should not be confused with the broader issue at the heart of the industrial action.
The arrears accumulated after a delay in reviewing the salaries of Judicial Service staff for 2026. JUSAG has welcomed the proposed payment, but says settling the outstanding wages alone would not be enough to bring the strike to an end.
Asked whether the action would continue, Mr Yakubu said: “The association is engaging Management, the Ministry of Labour and the Attorney General’s Department to determine the best way forward.”
He added: “The government’s revised proposal on the substantive approval of the conditions of service would be considered by the Judicial Council.”
Background to the dispute
JUSAG began the indefinite strike to demand improved conditions of service for staff of the Judicial Service.
The association has argued that salaries and allowances for its members have failed to reflect the rising cost of living or the importance of their work in supporting the administration of justice across the country.
The revised conditions of service recommended by the Judicial Council are at the centre of the disagreement. The Council is mandated to advise on matters relating to the Judicial Service, but JUSAG says the government has been slow to provide the substantive approval required for the recommendations to be implemented.
The delay in the 2026 salary review led to the accumulation of 10 months’ salary arrears, which the Ministry of Finance has now proposed to pay. JUSAG’s leadership maintains that a firm commitment on the revised conditions of service is also required before the dispute can be settled.
The strike has disrupted court operations nationwide. Many courts have been unable to sit, resulting in delays to case hearings and inconvenience for litigants, lawyers and members of the public.
Discussions involving JUSAG, Judicial Service management, the Ministry of Labour and the Attorney General’s Department are continuing as the parties seek a lasting solution to the impasse.
