Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu
Judicial workers under the umbrella of Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Enugu State chapter yesterday shut down the activities of the judiciary in Enugu State as they embarked on an indefinite strike action over alleged non implementation of their consolidated salary structure.
However, the state Attorney
General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Meletus Eze, in a swift reaction dismissed the strike action as illegal the strike as illegal.
The judicial staff of all the courts in the state had vowed to remain at home until their consolidated salary structure was implemented.
The entrance gate to the state High Court in Enugu and other state courts like magistrate courts, customary courts and many other state courts were locked up while court sittings were paralysed as judges and magistrates abandoned the courts.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of the JUSUN, Mr. Chinedu Mba, to comment on the strike, were unfruitful at the time of filing this report but details would be made available later.
The commissioner who spoke on the development described the strike as illegal pointing out that it was even more annoying considering the fact that the government was not owing the judiciary workers any salary.
Eze recalled that the issue of consolidated salary for judiciary workers came to the table in 2010 after chief judges came together with the CONJUSS and imposed same on states.
He said the JUSUN took the proposal to states and demanded that it should be implemented.
Eze, however, said that the Enugu State Government took the matter to the National Industrial Court and that on the September 23, 2016, the government secured an injunction barring the workers from going ahead to coerce government into adopting the salary structure.
He stressed that “they have not appealed against the injunction,” and wondered why they took the option of strike even when efforts were on by committee already set-up by government to resolve the impasse amicably.
