Judges Threaten Strike

There is growing disquiet within the Judiciary following threats by magistrates and lower court judges to go on strike if the issue of their pay cuts is not addressed. Lower court judges had suffered 50% pay cut on the order of the Chief of staff at the Office of the President, Prosper Kwaku Bani. The government was sued over the pay cut by Samuel Ampomah, a farmer, last year, but the state informed the Supreme Court presided over by Justice William Atuguba, that it wanted an out-of-court settlement over the issue and the case was consequently with drawn. A few months after the out-of-court settlement, Daily Guide learned the Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, had failed to ensure a restoration of the salaries of the judges. Mr. Terkper, according to a reliable source at the Controller and Accountant-General�s Department, had indicated that the salaries could not be restored because there was no money. The source asserted that the Minister did not seem ready to compromise on the issue because the state does not have the money to ensure a restoration of the salaries. This had angered the judges who have threatened to go on strike by the end of this month to press home their demands.