Labour Commission meets JUSAG, govt
The National Labour Commission (NLC),will today (May 10) meet the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) and the government over the association’s intention to embark on an indefinite strike.
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The meeting is intended to iron out the issues and help reach an agreement to avert the strike which would impact the administration of justice as the courts would come to a standstill.
This follows JUSAG’s threat last Friday to embark on an indefinite strike action by May 22, over government’s inability to approve their new salary plans for the past two years.
A notice of the meeting from the NLC, signed by Director, Administration and Human Resource for the Executive Secretary on May 8, Dr Bernice A. Welbeck, asked JUSAG and the respondent, government, to appear before the commission on May 10, 2023.
“The National Labour Commission has been served with ‘Notice of Intended Industrial Action” dated 5th May, 2023, by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG).
“With this intervention, the union is directed to stay any and/or intended actions and appear as scheduled,” the letter of invitation from the NLC directed.
Strike notice
JUSAG had given the government up to Friday (May 12), within which to “approve and pay our new salaries with all arrears from January to May 2023, failing which we shall resort to industrial action”.
It said no word had been heard from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on members’ new salaries as of close of Friday, May 5.
The notice issued by JUSAG General Secretary Abdulai Yakubu, said a full-blown strike will be declared from Monday, May 22 if within the preceding week government did not address their grievances.
“At this moment, we had to say, ‘enough is enough’,” a notice to members last Friday said.
“We can’t bear it any longer. Our industrial action plans have been activated.”
According to the notice, the National Labour Commission (NLC) has been duly notified on the intention to proceed on strike in accordance with Sections 159-161 of the Ghana Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
“If the government does not respond favourably by Friday, May 12, all staff of the Judicial Service will wear red armbands from Monday, May 15 “and that shall continue for one week”.
“Our indefinite strike shall remain in force until we have the approval and payment of the new salaries with all the arrears from January to May 2023.”
Background
In November 2019, JUSAG embarked on an industrial action after they called the bluff of the NLC and the Judicial Service Council who had ordered them to resume work because the strike was illegal.
They were protesting government’s failure to review the salaries of its members.
They,however, called off the strike two days later following a meeting with the NLC.