The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) has expressed disappointment after a meeting with the National Labour Commission to discuss its request for the government to approve new salaries for its members.
JUSAG has been awaiting approval for over two years, and the absence of key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, the Labour Ministry, and the Office of the President, at today’s meeting exacerbated the situation.
In response, JUSAG threatened to protest on May 22, 2023, and go on an indefinite strike if its demands are not met.
JUSAG in a statement after the meeting accused the government of showing bad faith in addressing its concerns and called for urgent action.
“We are disappointed by this laxity on the part of government, it is in bad faith. It tells us that government doesn’t care about the welfare and plight of the hard-working staff of an important institution like the Judicial Service”, JUSAG said in the statement.
It added that “it cannot be acceptable for government to withdraw the Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) in January 2023, increased the salary of the other public sector workers by 30 percent and abandon staff of the judicial service to wallow in despondency. No Ghanaian should be subjected to this ill-treatment.”
However, the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah, denied JUSAG’s allegations.
Meanwhile, JUSAG has disagreed with the decision of the NLC that the association suspends all industrial action during the period of negotiation.
The NLC has asked JUSAG, the Ministries of Finance, Labour and Employment Relations, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and representatives of the Office of the President to negotiate and resolve the matter within two weeks and report back to the Commission, on May 24, 2023.
