Gov’t to negotiate with striking lawyers

The government and aggrieved lawyers attached to the Attorney General’s Department in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions are expected to hold talks this morning in a bid to convince the lawyers to suspend their strike action and get back to work.

Information available to The Chronicle indicates that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, together with the Solicitor General and Chief Director of the Ministry, are expected to meet with the aggrieved public legal practitioners as they seek amicable solutions to the grievances and get the lawyers to resume duty.

Though exact details of today’s meeting, which is expected to be held at the premises of the Justice Ministry are not yet known, The Chronicle gathers the Minister and her delegation would be seeking to negotiate with the striking lawyers, in a bid to avoid any disruptions in delivery of justice as far as the state was concerned in the two regions.

The paper gathered that the Ministry is also preparing to release funds for payment of the allowances which have since last year been in arrears. Legal Practitioners working with the AG’s Department in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions have since Wednesday declared a sit down strike, citing non-payment of certain allowances for almost two years.

The aggrieved lawyers have refused to attend to legal attitudes until their clothing, leave and fuel allowances, which have been in arrears for over two years now, are paid to them. The angry lawyers claimed that since January 2013, the Justice Ministry has not paid them their Fuel, Leave and Clothing Allowances despite several appeals.

The allowances, according to them, are part of their remuneration which they are supposed to enjoy but since early last year, all efforts to get the government to honour payments have yielded no results.