Staff of the Legal Aid Commission have threatened to strike beginning Monday, November 25, citing years of neglect and exclusion from the newly inaugurated Law House. Despite the commissioning of the Law House five months ago, the Legal Aid Commission remains confined to its current overcrowded and deteriorating office.
The Legal Aid Commission, responsible for providing essential legal services to Ghanaians, continues to operate in substandard conditions. Overcrowding, lack of proper facilities, and unfulfilled promises to relocate to the new Law House have pushed staff to their breaking point.
Some offices meant for one person now house about 10 people at a time. Even lawyers have no privacy when attending to clients as the seats are cramped in the offices. Scenes from the cramped office reveal hallways converted into storage spaces, highlighting the extent of the challenges 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.
“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.
