JUSUN directs members nationwide to resume work

The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has directed all its members across Nigeria to resume work on Tuesday October 2, following the suspension of strike organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC).

President of JUSUN, Comrade Marwan Mustapha Adamu gave the directive in Abuja shortly after the NLC announced on Sunday that it has suspended the ongoing strike with immediate effect.

Comrade Marwan thanked JUSUN members for complying with the directive during the industrial action to persuade the Federal government to reconvene the tripartite committee for the review of the national minimum wage to conclude their assignment.

Daily Times recalls that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa were on Thursday locked out of their offices by officials of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), in compliance with the indefinite strike that was declared by the NLC.

Also locked out on Thursday by JUSUN officials were Chief Judges of both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court as well as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Justices of the Supreme Court, Judges, lawyers and litigants were equally denied entry into any court within the FCT.

Aside the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, other places currently locked down by the protesting workers were the Federal Ministry of Justice, the National Industrial Court, the Code of Conduct Bureau & Tribunal, the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and the National Human Rights Commission.

Adamu had insisted that the current strike would continue till financial autonomy is achieved for the judiciary.

Speaking while addressing Judiciary correspondents at the Federal High Court headquarters complex in Abuja, Adamu said that JUSUN was compelled to down tools following the inability of the authorities to comply with a 2014 court order granting financial autonomy to the judiciary.

He said “The strike is indefinite and we are not ready to go back until the government complies with the court judgment.

“There was a court judgment since January 13, 2014; no stay on that judgment and nobody is willing to comply with that judgment.

“If a court of competent jurisdiction delivers a judgment and the state governors who are beneficiaries of the judgment decide not to respect it, I do not think we are doing the right thing for this country.

“By the same token, state governments through their accountants-general and commissioners for finance being members of Federation Account Allocations Committee (FAAC) equally contributed to this industrial action,’’ he said

In the meantime, the NLC President had said that the organised labour has gotten firm commitment from the government that the Tripartite Committee of the Minimum Wage Committee reconvenes on October 4.