TUC sets September 30 deadline for nationwide strike over unpaid railway salaries
By DL news
Published
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At a briefing on Wednesday, General Secretary Joshua Ansah underscored the extent of the hardship, noting that the situation has left workers and their dependents struggling to survive.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned that it will mobilize a nationwide strike if the government fails to clear salary arrears owed to railway staff by September 30, 2025.
Members of the Railway Workers Union of Ghana, an affiliate of the TUC, have reportedly gone without pay for a full year.
At a briefing on Wednesday, General Secretary Joshua Ansah underscored the extent of the hardship, noting that the situation has left workers and their dependents struggling to survive.
He pressed the state to act immediately, declaring:
“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.”
Mr. Ansah further urged the authorities to “look for any means” to settle the debt without delay.
Despite numerous appeals to the Ministry of Transport and other state officials, the TUC says there has been little movement toward a resolution.
The union points out that government assistance, which once covered 70% of wages, has now been cut back, plunging the Ghana Railway Company and its workforce deeper into crisis.
Adding to the tension, the TUC has asked government to suspend the planned inauguration of the Tema–Mpakadan Railway line on October 1, 2025, announced by Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe.
According to the TUC, even railway operators have been left in the dark about the supposed launch.
The ultimatum is reinforced by a formal notification from the Railway Workers Union to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, detailing their intention to strike and picket peacefully on September 30.
The union cites the non-payment of salaries since October 2024 as the justification for the action.
In closing, Mr. Ansah reaffirmed the TUC’s solidarity with the railway workers, reminding the public that the union itself was founded on railway land a historical connection he said obliges them to fight for fair wages and decent treatment.
