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Worker unions not troublemakers – JUSAG to employers
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Employers and management of private and public institutions have been urged to respect and support worker unions instead of seeing them as trouble markers, according to the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG).
According to the association, a strong workers union in any organisation is rather a complement and when supported constitutes a strong support base for productivity and growth.
Alex Nartey, the president of JUSAG who made this call at the opening of the 1st Quadrenniel Delegates Conference ongoing in Ho said, “Unions should not be seen as trouble makers.”
“It must be announced here today (Tuesday, August 2) for the attention of all employers both private and public that a strong workers union in any organisation or work environment is rather a complement which when supported Constitute a strong support base for productivity and growth.
“Unions should not be seen as trouble makers,” but “We only demand reason, fair-play and recognition of our rights and contributions, a benefit that no employer must struggle for.”
He added that, “Employers must know that workers are always ready to be fair in our demands and give respect to whoever respect is due.”
“Demand for respect at the work place must be balanced, bearing in mind that, employees are also deserving of dignity,” Mr. Nartey noted.
HR, Judicial Secretary office questioned
The JUSAG president whose two terms is coming to an end accused the Human Resource (HR) and the office of the Judicial Secretary (JS) for what he described as “poor handling of staff promotions.”
“We would like to appeal to government and management to always handle issues that affect our conditions and welfare with the needed urgency.
“One of the concerns among the staff presently is the poor way a section of management (HR and JS) has handled promotion in spite of how clear our condition of service is,” he bemoaned.
According to him, “staff do not retire on our salaries, we retire on our ranks or grades. Promotion must be seen as the life of the staff.”
Caution to politicians
Mr Nartey also called for the Judiciary to he criticised constructively but not being run down by politicians, adding that, any attack on the Judiciary is an attack on the nation.
“The role of JUSAG is not only to seek the welfare of our members. One of our key functions is to protect the Judiciary and support same to discharge on its mandate. This means that any action or conduct by any individual or institution that seeks to undermine the Judiciary must be resisted by JUSAG on behalf of Ghanaians.
“It is for this reason that, we take this opportunity to caution and advise the section of politicians who have taken to running down the Judiciary to desist from that. The Judiciary is not immune to criticism but it must not be politicized”.
He explained that, “The constitution prescribes the means by which erring Judicial officers must be sanctioned.
“Politicians must know these methods and avoid running down such an important arm of government without which we cannot govern ourselves”.
JUSAG €55M Multi-purpose Hostels
While bringing his two-terms of seven years to an end, he said, leadership is about ensuring the wellbeing of the people and wealth creation for sustainable growth and development.
“I am happy that at the end of my tenure, no member of our association who is sincere can look in our faces to say that we have failed to achieve this among the numerous interventions we have instituted to support the welfare of our members, we have unprecedentedly secured over 55 million Euros to commence the construction of JUSAG Multi-purpose Hostels at Abokobi in Accra.
The project he said has been handed over to the contractor Greencity Housing and their partners to execute.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
The Director of Legal Affairs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gary Nimako Marfo, has questioned who will bear the cost of conducting presidential and parliamentary primaries following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the party’s delegate system.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Nimako Marfo said he would not immediately comment on the ruling, adding that he wanted to wait for the full details before sharing his views.
“I don’t want to comment on it now. Let’s wait,” he said.
When asked about the Supreme Court’s decision that all members in good standing should vote in party elections, he shifted attention to the financial implications of implementing the ruling.
According to him, allowing all members in good standing to vote would increase the cost of organising internal party elections.
He questioned who would pay for the expanded electoral process.
“Who is going to pay for the cost of the elections?” he asked.
When a journalist suggested that political parties would bear the cost, Mr. Nimako Marfo replied, “Let’s wait and see.”
The comments come after the Supreme Court ruled that political parties should allow all members in good standing to vote in their internal elections, a decision that is expected to expand participation but also increase the financial and logistical demands of organising presidential and parliamentary primaries.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Supreme Court of Ghana has declared the delegate system used by political parties to elect presidential and parliamentary candidates unconstitutional.
In a 5-2 majority decision delivered, the Court ruled that the long-standing system violates democratic principles and ordered all political parties to ensure every registered, card-bearing member participates in presidential and parliamentary primaries.
The ruling brings to an end decades of internal party elections conducted by a limited number of delegates.
The suit was filed by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng; veteran politician Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe; and former Minister for Lands and Forestry, Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah.
The plaintiffs argued that the delegate system created inequality among party members by granting voting rights to a privileged minority while excluding ordinary members in good standing.
They told the Court that restricting voting rights to delegates was inconsistent with the democratic principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
The Attorney-General’s Department supported the suit and urged the Court to adopt a “one member, one vote” approach.
In its submission, the State argued that political parties perform an important public function in Ghana’s democratic framework and that their internal electoral processes must reflect constitutional values of equality, participation and universal suffrage.
The Attorney-General further submitted that expanding voting rights to all registered members would strengthen accountability and deepen internal democracy within political parties.
The judgment means that going forward, presidential and parliamentary candidates will be selected by all registered members of a political party, instead of by delegates alone.
Political parties are expected to review their constitutions and structures to comply with the Court’s directive ahead of the 2028 general elections.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
