The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana [JUSAG] has appealed to government to review upwards, the salaries of its members.

Speaking to JoyNews at the May Day Parade in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, General Secretary for JUSAG, Abdulai Yakubu said the implementation of reviewed salaries and related allowances for staff of the Judicial Service is long overdue.

“As we are all aware, the Cost of Living Allowance [COLA] ended in December 2022 and we were all hoping that action would be expedited for us to receive a new salary in January 2023 but that was not done”, he said.

“Unfortunately, the economic circumstances that brought about the COLA are still prevalent and it is still hurting our members, the COLA is gone and we don’t have a new salary”, Yakubu added.

The JUSAG General Secretary also lamented that workers in the public sector received a 30% salary adjustment while Judicial Service staff have not received any improved salaries.

“We go to the same markets with the public sector workers, we buy goods at the same prices with them, taxes have increased and many more, but we [Judicial Staff] have not received an increase in our salaries for four months now”, he bemoaned.

“We are therefore using this occasion of the Workers’ Day to appeal to His Excellency the President, Nana Akufo-Addo to expedite action on the review of our salaries so that we can enjoy a new and enhanced salary in the month of May with all the arrears from January up to date”, Yakubu said.

The Judicial Service Staff Union of Ghana [JUSAG] comprises all the support service staff including cleaners, junior and senior staff as well directors of the Judicial Service.

The JUSAG members joined thousands of other workers from dozens of labour unions across the country to celebrate International Workers’ Day also known as Labour Day at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress [TUC], Dr. Yaw Baah in a speech on behalf of Organized Labour said the rapid depreciation of the Ghana Cedi was feeding into inflation and consequently, many workers and their families had fallen into poverty.

“If nothing is done about this situation many more workers and their families will suffer severe poverty in the coming months”, he said.

President Nana Akufo-Addo in his address to Ghanaian workers celebrated them for their hard work and assured them that government was doing all it could, to turn the economy of the country around.

“I assure you that, by dint of hard work, prudence and creativity, we will turn things around. We will work to help return our economy to the days of high growth rates and make our country, again, the best place to do business and the most attractive destination for investment in West Africa”, the president said.