Judicial Service Strike: JUSAG, SSAJUG direct all court staff to stay home from Monday
Court staff across the country, including employees of the Supreme Court, have been directed to stay away from work from Monday, November 9, as the Judicial Service strike continues.
The directive was jointly issued by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) and the Senior Staff Association of the Judicial Service of Ghana (SSAJUG).
In a joint statement released on Sunday and signed by their General Secretaries, Abdulai Yakubu of JUSAG and George Taylor of SSAJUG, the unions said neither the government nor the Judicial Service management had responded to their revised demands, which they described as their final compromise.
The associations said the revised proposals were submitted on Thursday, November 5, after several days of negotiations aimed at improving staff working and living conditions while taking the government’s financial constraints into account.
The statement said the unions had presented what they considered their best possible offer to improve employees’ welfare and restore effective justice delivery.
However, they disclosed that as of 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 8, they had received no official response from either the government or Judicial Service management.
The directive specifically includes employees of Ghana’s highest court, which held sittings on Tuesday and Wednesday following instructions from Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, despite the nationwide strike that began on Monday, November 2.
The unions stressed that all Judicial Service employees, including those stationed at the Supreme Court, must remain at home for as long as the industrial action continues.
Although the Finance Ministry has outlined plans to settle 10 months of salary arrears for 2026 in two instalments in November and December, JUSAG had earlier rejected the government’s initial counter-proposal, arguing that it addressed less than 20 per cent of its demands for the substantive approval of its 2026 conditions of service.
Negotiations have remained deadlocked despite assurances from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, who promised immediate action on Wednesday after consulting the Finance Minister.
Apologising to litigants and institutions affected by the closure of the courts, the unions said their members could no longer continue working under the existing conditions.
They maintained that staff would only resume work once their demands had been addressed and employees were sufficiently satisfied and motivated.
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