Railway workers threaten to strike over one year unpaid wages
The Railway Workers Union of Ghana has threatened to ground operations nationwide with a strike and mass picketing on September 30, 2025, if the Ghana Railway Company Limited does not clear 12 months of unpaid salaries dating back to October 2024.
In a formal notice addressed to the Greater Accra Regional Commander of Police on September 15, the union said its members had been pushed to the brink by the prolonged salary crisis. The letter, sighted by GraphicOnline, described the ordeal as “grave hardship, including financial distress, broken homes, health complications such as strokes, disruption of children's education, and general frustration.”
The union said repeated appeals through the Ministry of Transport and other agencies had failed to produce results, accusing the government of shirking its legal responsibility. “The current state of affairs has created uncertainty for both the company and its employees,” the letter stated, faulting authorities for ignoring mandatory negotiation, mediation, or arbitration processes under Section 161 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
The notification was also copied to the National Labour Commission, the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, the Ghana Railway Development Authority, the Trades Union Congress, and Parliament’s Select Committee on Transport.
Warning that time was running out, the union gave authorities until September 22 to take concrete action or face a full-blown strike. It cited Sections 160 and 171 of the Labour Act as the legal basis for its impending action.
If carried out, the strike will draw workers from Tema, Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tarkwa. Plans include picketing at the Ministry of Transport, delivering a petition to Parliament, marching to the Ghana Railway Development Authority, and ending at the Trades Union Congress headquarters. The union assured that the protest would be peaceful and conducted “in full compliance with public order regulations,” while requesting police support to maintain security.
This latest confrontation comes just months after railway workers staged an indefinite strike in May 2025 over seven months of wage arrears, an action that crippled passenger services nationwide until government intervention temporarily restored calm.
Despite that truce, the union insists the worsening arrears have left its members with no choice but to act. It reiterated its readiness to maintain peace but warned that railway workers could no longer withstand the mounting hardship.