We acknowledge the frustration due to strike action, but we’ve run out of patience – JUSAG

The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) says it is aware of the inconvenience its ongoing strike is causing court users but insists its members have also exhausted their patience over delays in addressing their concerns.

The association says although it sympathises with litigants and other members of the public stranded at court premises, its members will not return to work until the government meets their demands.

Speaking on*** Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem***, Deputy General Secretary of JUSAG, Joyce Assan, said the association had observed the disruption caused by the industrial action during a monitoring exercise on Monday.

“We know people are not happy, and we understand their concerns. We went on a monitoring exercise on Monday and saw people stranded at the court premises. However, we also expect the public to understand our position. This is where we have got to,” she said.

She urged lawyers, litigants, and other court users with pending cases to stay away from the court premises until further notice.

“They should stay at home, regardless of the cases they have in court. Our security team has also done well by ensuring that the gates remain closed and nobody enters to work,” she added.

Ms Assan said JUSAG members had remained patient since January, relying on assurances from their leadership that their concerns would be resolved.

However, she said the prolonged delay had left members with little patience to continue waiting.

“From January until now, we have done well. Workers in the public sector have received their salaries and have even negotiated their conditions for 2027, but we are still waiting. We have been patient all this while because our leaders assured us that our concerns would be addressed, but we have now run out of patience,” she said.

The indefinite strike follows disagreements over the implementation of revised salaries and the payment of related arrears owed to Judicial Service staff, dating back to January 2026.

The Ministry of Finance has since approved payment of the outstanding arrears, but JUSAG has maintained that the announcement does not fully address its demands and is insufficient to warrant an end to the strike.

The industrial action has disrupted court operations across the country, affecting several facilities, including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Accra Circuit Court and various District Courts.

Although the Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie directed the Supreme Court to proceed with its Tuesday sitting, uncertainty remains over the availability of administrative and support services during court proceedings.

JUSAG has insisted that members will remain on strike until the government addresses its outstanding concerns.

Also read:

• JUSAG strike begins to bite as courts shut down in Accra

• Kumasi High Court and other lower courts closed as JUSAG strike leaves litigants stranded