The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana, JUSAG, has declared an indefinite strike effective Monday, November 2, 2026, over government’s failure to approve and implement reviewed salaries for staff of the Judicial Service.
The declaration was made on Friday, October 30, 2026, after the deadline set by the union elapsed without results.
The union has advised court users, disputing parties and the general public to take note, as all Judicial Service staff are expected to stay away from work from Monday until their demands are met and leadership communicates otherwise.
According to the declaration by the leadership, under Article 149 and C.I. 141, salaries and conditions of service of Judicial Service staff are determined by the President on the advice of the Judicial Council, with Regulation 25 providing for annual review. In line with this, the union said it submitted a proposal to the Judicial Council in December 2025 to aid its advice to the President.
Following delays, a reminder was sent and the Judicial Council subsequently concluded its work and submitted its advice to the Presidency.
Approval from the Presidency however delayed, prompting another reminder from the union warning that further delay could jeopardize industrial harmony.
The leadership said appeals were made at several fora, including the 2nd Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Tamale where the Chief of Staff assured that the message would be taken to the Presidency, a Chief Justice staff durbar at the Tema High Court, and the recently ended MJG conference at Labadi Beach, but no positive results were achieved.
Growing frustration among staff led the National Executive Council to hold an emergency meeting where it resolved to demand approval of the Judicial Council’s advice on salaries by 30th October 2026 and payment of the approved salary in November 2026 together with arrears from January to October 2026, failing which an indefinite strike would commence on Monday, November 2.
As a law-abiding union, JUSAG said it notified the National Labour Commission on Friday, 23rd October 2026 of its intention to strike, with notifications also sent to the Minister for Jobs, Labour Relations and Employment, Minister for Finance, Attorney General, Executive Secretary to the Office of the President, and the Judicial Secretary.
The union expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the matter, saying the Minister waited until last Monday when directed by the NLC to convene a meeting and that the NLC was expecting a report by November 3, 2026, when its deadline to government was October 30, which showed lack of commitment. The Ministry later invited the association to a meeting on Tuesday, November 3, a date after the strike takes effect. The union said the invitation did not include the Office of the President, which has the constitutional authority to approve the salaries, and included parties who ought not to be part of the discussion. It also said it chanced upon a letter from the Ministry of Finance which attempted to address the demands but was prepared without its input.
Declaring the strike, the leadership stated that owing to the failure on the part of government to meet the demands and with today being the last day given to government, and it being past 4 PM without the demands being met, in compliance with the decision of its NEC, it hereby declares an indefinite strike starting from Monday, November 2, 2026. By this declaration, all staff of the Judicial Service are expected to stay home from Monday until the demands are met.
The union advised persons who have cases on Monday not to show up at the courts, as staff will not be available.
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