Ghana’s National Labour Commission has ordered striking NIA workers to immediately end their industrial action and set a May deadline to resolve the underlying salary dispute.
The National Labour Commission (NLC) issued the directive on Thursday, May 14, after a hearing that brought together the National Identification Authority (NIA), the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU), and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.
“The striking workers should call off the ongoing strike with immediate effect,” the Commission’s statement said, noting that the case had been adjourned to June 4, 2026, for all parties to report back on progress.
At the centre of the resolution timeline is a specific instruction to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to complete the approval and implementation of the migration report for NIA staff by the end of May 2026. That report governs salary levels, promotions, and job placements, and its stalled progress has been the core grievance behind the action.
Workers, represented by the PSWU under the Trades Union Congress (TUC), launched the strike on May 13 after the Ministry of Finance failed to grant final approval for the migration process. The union had issued a formal notice on May 6 warning that the action would proceed if approvals were not received by that date. According to the union, NIA’s Scheme of Service was approved in July 2024 and the migration exercise began in December that same year, but 22 months later many staff remained on incorrect salary scales and had not received promotions they were entitled to.
The PSWU confirmed it had suspended the strike after the NLC’s intervention. A statement signed by Assistant Divisional Secretary Ayivor Godsway Bismark confirmed compliance with the Commission’s directive.
The timing of the dispute added a layer of urgency beyond the workers’ grievances. The NIA is currently running a nationwide Ghana Card registration exercise targeting children aged 6 to 14 across the Volta and Oti regions, with teams deployed to schools daily. Any extended disruption to NIA operations would have undermined that programme and cut off Ghana Card services across the country.
The June 4 hearing will determine whether the FWSC met its end of May commitment and give the NLC a formal opportunity to assess whether the dispute has been genuinely closed.
