Staff of the Legal Aid Commission have threatened to go on strike starting Monday, November 25, 2024, citing years of neglect and their exclusion from the newly inaugurated Law House.
Although the Law House was commissioned five months ago, the Legal Aid Commission remains in its overcrowded and deteriorating office, which is no longer suitable for its operations.
The Commission, which provides essential legal services to Ghanaians, continues to work under substandard conditions. Overcrowding, inadequate facilities, and broken promises regarding relocation to the new Law House have pushed staff to their breaking point.
Offices designed for single occupancy are now shared by up to 10 people, and even lawyers lack privacy when meeting with clients due to cramped spaces.
Additionally, hallways have been repurposed as storage areas, further illustrating the dire situation faced by the Commission.
Some staff members who spoke to Channel One News on condition of anonymity narrated that seats available for use by clients are torn and infested with bed bugs with no other alternative.
Some frustrated clients turned away as staff began laying down their tools, expressing disappointment over the situation.
“This is not fair, the office has to be renovated or relocated. When I go inside the office, the chairs are not appropriate, and I can’t even talk to my lawyer without all eyes staring at me,” a frustrated client, Lordina Adjeley Annan, lamented.
