Pay us or else… - JUSAG warns management

The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) is breathing fire on the neck of their employers, who withheld their service allowances for more than the period necessary.

The Ghanaian justice workers union thinks their rights to wellbeing and livelihood was being trampled upon by their insensitive bosses and, therefore, gives their employers ultimatum to, either put up or shut up before or by May 15, 2015.

In a letter dated May 7, 2015; signed by its National President, Mr. Alex Nartey issued in Accra, a copy of which was intercepted by The Informer, the justice service providers across the country has vowed to act swiftly and counterproductively, starting from Monday, May 18, 2015.

The association said its members’ allowances were in arrears since the first quarter of 2014, and all efforts to get their employers pay them were either being ignored or thwarted.

"The leadership of JUSAG has noted that the outstanding allowances remain unpaid and that at the time of issuing this letter, no indication had been communicated to the union as to when our members are going to be paid,” it wrote.

It urges that by Monday, May 18, 2015, if their demands were not met, all staff members across the country shall put on red arms-bands and hoist red flags at various courts, offices and departments of the Judicial Service nationwide.

It further urged that ‘on Wednesday, May 20, 2015, all staff shall not report to work, until further notice.

The resolution letter, which instructed all Regional Advisory Councils to comply with the directive, was generously copied; Her Ladyship the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood; the Hon Minister of Finance and Economic Planning; the Hon Minister of Employment and Labour Relations; the Commissioner – National Labour Commission; the General-Secretary of JUSAG; all National Executive Board Members of JUSAG; all National Executive Council Members of JUSAG, as well as all Regional Advisory Council members.

When this paper called a member of JUSAG to throw more light on the situation the union finds itself in that prompted the issuance of the fiat, the young man, who seems to know of the Judicio-canker than even his own age, vowed to spill the beans.

Pleading anonymity, he enumerated instances of alleged corrupt practices in the judiciary itself, and was sad that the alleged “Operation Loot and Chop” involve otherwise respected judges – of the superior court.

He also threatened to expose officials of the Judicial Service, who are engaged in corrupt practices, saying some of them are worse than those sentenced to jail.