JUSAG awaits signing of agreement reached with gov’t before calling off strike over salary arrears

The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) has maintained its strike despite an appeal by Labour Minister Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum to suspend the industrial action following an agreement to improve workers' allowances.

The Minister made the appeal after a meeting with the association on Tuesday, November 3, as part of efforts to resolve the strike.

"We have had a very good, fantastic conversation, and I am appealing to them. I had a chat with them, and definitely, once we are able to come to the table and come up with solutions, they will call off the strike. We are not happy with the strike, and the same way they are not happy with the strike. We are all working for the betterment of Mother Ghana, so it is not for someone to say that he wants a strike or for the Judicial service to come to a halt; it is just about what needs to be done, and we are working together to make sure that we have a solution," the Minister told JoyNews after the meeting with the aggrieved staff.

However, the association has indicated that it will only call off the strike after the agreement is formally signed and implementation begins.

"We are waiting for the approval and the signing of the document when they bring it. There is an agreement on the table, but until we see the agreement, we are still on strike," JUSAG President, Samuel Otu, told the media.

The strike, which commenced on Monday, November 2, has disrupted activities at several court premises across the country, including the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Accra Circuit Court and some District Courts across the country.

Some court premises have been locked, with security personnel restricting access to the facilities. Red cloth has also been tied to some entrances as a sign of the association's industrial action.

JUSAG is demanding payment of outstanding revised salary arrears dating back to January 2026.

The Judicial Secretary, Musah Ahmed, had earlier appealed to the association to reconsider its decision, indicating that management had engaged relevant government stakeholders in high-level, good-faith negotiations to resolve the outstanding concerns.

Despite the latest engagement and the minister's appeal, the association's position suggests that court operations could remain disrupted until the agreed measures are formally concluded and implementation begins.