Judges Suspend Strike

The Alliance of Judges and Magistrates have suspended their intended nationwide strike that was meant to be a protest over their condition of service.

The decision to call of the strike follows the timely intervention of the Chief Justice, Ms. Sophia Akuffo, into the raging impasse.

THE PUBLISHER has gathered that the ‘angry judges’ have temporarily suspended the intended strike action awaiting the outcome of a meeting between the President, Nana Akufo-Addo and the Chief Justice today, Friday March 23.

Over two hundred members of the Alliance in a March 9, 2018 letter to the Chief Justice had given the government a 10- day ultimatum to conclude all outstanding negotiations over their conditions of service.

They threatened, in the letter, to embark on a nationwide strike effective March 21, 2018.

The letter, among other requests, demanded an end to the era of lack of personal security for judges and magistrates despite the fact that they are most likely to come into contact with litigants and criminals that frequent the courts.

Grievances 

The group also wanted the government to address the issue of lack of security or adequate armed security in most courts, poor conditions of court rooms and chambers and payment of risk allowance in view of the precarious conditions they work.

The paper’s sources say the Chief Justice had urged the alliance to “give her the time and space to deal with the issue.”

The source said “because of the trust we have in her, we have suspended the strike despite the difficulty in doing so…”

The source further stated it is bad for judges to be talking about their condition of service “on the street when they sit and take decisions on other people’s labour issues.”

According to the papers’ source, the intervention of the Chief Justice is indicative of her commitment to issues affecting judges of the lower bench.

The group is optimistic the Chief Justice’s meeting with the President would bring closure to the issue in view of the fact that he is a person who believes in the rule of law.

Pay Us

Beyond the call for improved security, the judges and magistrates said the government has shown remarkable unwillingness to resolve the salary issues of the Lower Bench, evidence by its failure to produce the expected figures for 2018 salary to bring closure to the matter as agreed upon.

“The government shifted goal posts regarding agreed positions on specific issues at our previous meetings, employed certain maneuvers and give various excuses to delay the Lower Bench of what is rightly ours”.

The group finds it alarming the government’s refusal to pay the salary figures proposed by the Judicial Council for 2016 as approved by Parliament in the Appropriation Act to be paid to the Lower Bench effective January this year.

The judges said the same attitude was exhibited between January to December last year regarding the payment of their fuel allowance adding that despite numerous letters and discussions, issues concerning the Lower Bench have generally never elicited any positive response despite the urgency involved.

It said “historically, our dealings with the Ministry of Finance since 2013 have been characterized by the deliberate invention of errors and mistakes, withdrawal of salaries, reduction in salaries and delay tactics.”

The judges believe the action by the government is a violation of the Article 149 of the 1992 Constitution which states that their condition of service shall be determined by the President upon the advice of the Judicial Council.

“it is also a grievous interference with the independence of the judiciary and a calculated strategy to weaken the judiciary by keeping the majority of its members on the Lower Bench in penury”.

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher