The strike action declared by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSSAG) to demand implementation of the agreed consolidation of their salaries and allowances is illegal, according to the National Labour Commission.

Court rooms were locked and lawyers had no access to the newly inaugurated court complex.

All Judicial staff members were on strike including senior judicial administrators.

According to the newly appointed Chief Executive of labour commission, Charles Adongo Bawa Duah, it was ruled at an arbitration that the strike must not take place.

He said the commission summoned JUSSAG members, Ministry of Employment, Ministry of Finance, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Judicial Commission to a meeting and it was concluded that there was no negotiation between JUSSAG and their employers.

As a result, Mr Dua said, “it is not proper [in] accordance with law when negotiations are ongoing for any party to go on a strike action."

According to him, JUSSAG should have notified the commission of the strike. He added that the strike came to him as a surprise.

This is the second time JUSSAG is embarking on strike this year.

It declared strike in April but suspended it after a day following assurances by the labour minister Haruna Iddrisu.

Meanwhile, deputy labour minister Baba Jamal says the strike is unfair and is intended to put fear in government because of the election.

He noted that the strike is to make government unpopular.

“People think that it is an election year hold the government to ransom” he said. “I am very disappointed that people who work with the judicial service should behave this way.”

But General Secretary of JUSAG Derik Annang said on Joy FM that, “the strike is still in force until we receive something concrete from government”.