The Minority in Parliament has urged the Chief Justice to stand firmly with striking Judicial Service workers and defend the Judiciary’s independence, as the indefinite strike over the 2026 salary review continues with courts still shut.

In a statement issued on Monday, November 9, the Minority Caucus on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions said staff welfare needed practical protection and warned against allowing the Executive’s interests to take precedence over the Judiciary’s. The appeal follows the ongoing strike by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), working with SSAJUG, after talks with management and government failed to settle the issues.

Key facts

  • The Minority statement was signed by Frank Asiedu Bekoe, Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, and addressed to President John Dramani Mahama.
  • JUSAG announced on Sunday, November 8, that the indefinite strike would continue on Monday, November 9, saying it had received no official reply from government or Judicial Service management.
  • The unions say they sent their final (revised) demands to government on Thursday, November 5, and directed all Judicial Service staff — including those at the Supreme Court — to stay away from work for the duration of the strike.
  • The Minority says unresolved disputes are also hurting people waiting on custody, property, business and liberty-related hearings, and has called on the Finance Ministry and Jubilee House to engage urgently.

Background

The strike began on Monday, November 2, over pay and the 2026 conditions of service for Judicial Service staff. In an earlier report, GhEcho noted that most courts had been closed since that date, that JUSAG said a revised government offer met under 20% of its demands, and that the union would not return until the Judicial Council’s salary advice was approved. Read that background: Courts stay shut nearly a week into JUSAG strike.

According to Graphic Online, a joint statement dated Sunday, November 8, signed by JUSAG General Secretary Abdulai Yakubu and George Taylor of the Judicial Service Association of Ghana, said the revised position was “the best the unions are able to come through.” The unions said they empathised with the public but that present conditions made it impossible to resume, and that staff would return only when their demands were met and workers were “highly satisfied and motivated.”

The Minority’s Monday statement goes further on institutional independence. “An independent Judiciary must not appear to subordinate its institutional interests to the convenience of the Executive. The separation of powers must be demonstrated, not merely declared,” it said.

According to MyJoyOnline, the caucus said workers felt their institution was not standing firmly enough with them and believed government was giving greater weight to its own position than to staff welfare. “We appeal to the Chief Justice to show, in practical terms, that their welfare and dignity matter,” the statement said. It added that the Chief Justice did not have to endorse every demand without scrutiny, but that staff concerns deserved fair and serious consideration.

The Minority also highlighted registry and administrative staff, saying the justice system cannot function without them. “We must never allow the people who keep our justice system running to feel that they themselves have been denied justice,” it said.

What's next

The Minority called on the Finance Ministry and Jubilee House to engage JUSAG immediately and offer a credible path to a settlement, and asked Parliament to facilitate urgent talks. It also urged JUSAG and SSAJUG to stay open to dialogue.

“The time for assurances without resolution is over. The time for meaningful action is now,” the caucus said. Until a deal is reached, the unions say the strike remains in force and courts stay shut.