The Ministry of Finance has approved the payment of 10 months’ salary arrears owed to members of the Judicial Service and the Lower Court Bench, following an indefinite nationwide strike by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) over delays in the implementation of their revised salaries and conditions of service.
Under the approved arrangement, five months of arrears covering January to May 2026 will be paid in November, while the remaining five months, covering June to October, are scheduled for payment in December.
The approval was contained in a letter dated November 2, 2026, and signed by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson. It was addressed to the Controller and Accountant-General for the necessary action.
The Ministry said the payment arrangement was consistent with the government’s commitment to preventing the accumulation of salary arrears.
“In line with Government’s resolve not to accrue arrears, approval is hereby granted for the payment of the associated arrears per the schedule below,” the letter stated.
The arrears relate to the implementation of new conditions of service for Judicial Service staff and members of the Lower Court Bench, which took effect on January 1, 2026, following presidential approval pursuant to Article 149 of the 1992 Constitution.
The Finance Ministry’s decision comes after JUSAG commenced an indefinite nationwide strike on Monday, November 2, over delays in the approval and payment of its members’ revised salaries and allowances.
The association had demanded that the government approve the Judicial Council’s recommendations on the 2026 salary review by October 30 and ensure that the revised salaries, together with arrears covering January to October, were paid in November.
Addressing a press conference at the Supreme Court on October 30, JUSAG General Secretary Abdulai Yakubu directed members to withdraw their services until the demands were met.
“All staff of the Judicial Service are directed not to report for work from Monday, November 2, 2026, unless and until His Excellency the President complies with Article 149 and CI 141 by approving our new salaries and paying them in November 2026, together with all arrears from January to October 2026,” he said.
JUSAG said it had pursued the salary review since December 2025 but had not secured the outcome it wanted despite engagements with the relevant government authorities.
The association also expressed dissatisfaction with a proposal by the Finance Ministry to settle the arrears in three instalments without a specified payment timeline.
The Controller and Accountant-General has been directed to give effect to the payment approval, while copies of the letter were sent to the Chief Justice, the Deputy Minister of Finance, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance, the Auditor-General, the Director of PFM-Compliance and the Judicial Secretary.
