The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has given the government until September 30, 2025, to settle 12 months of unpaid salaries owed to members of its affiliate, the Railway Workers Union of Ghana, or face a nationwide strike.

General Secretary of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, issued the ultimatum on Wednesday, stressing that the prolonged non-payment of wages has pushed railway workers and their families into severe financial distress.

Mr Ansah urgently implored the government to "look for any means" to settle the 12-month debt immediately.

“We have sent a notice to the government and the owner of the company that if by September 30 and the 12-month outstanding salaries owed to its affiliate are not paid, TUC will embark on a strike," he stated.

According to him, despite repeated letters to the Ministry of Transport and other government officials, no concrete steps have been taken to resolve the crisis.

He disclosed that while the government previously supported 70% of railway workers’ salaries, this has inexplicably been reduced, leaving the Ghana Railway Company and its staff in dire straits.

The TUC also urged the government to halt the planned October 1, 2025, opening of the Tema–Mpakadan Railway line, announced by Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe, arguing that railway operators themselves do not know of the scheduled event.

This ultimatum follows a formal notice by the Railway Workers Union to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command announcing a nationwide strike and peaceful picketing on September 30.

The union cited the government’s failure to pay salaries since October 2024 as the basis for the protest.

The TUC reiterated its solidarity with the railway workers, with Mr Ansah noting that the union itself was founded on railway land, underscoring its historic duty to ensure fair treatment and timely pay for railway staff.