The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Nasarawa State Branch, has declared an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of its demands by the state government and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
JUSUN announced the strike in a statement signed by Mr Ogbere Zachariah, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the union on Wednesday in Lafia.
The union expressed concern that the authorities had resorted to delay tactics instead of addressing their demands.
“Our demands include the immediate implementation of the 40 per cent Peculiar Allowance approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, financial autonomy for the judiciary, 58.1 per cent salary increase, and implementation of pending conversions and outstanding promotions.”
“Others are full financial autonomy of the judiciary, implementation of the approved 40 years of service and 65 years as retirement age, as done for Magistrates and other Judges in the state,” he said.
The union, he said, explored all avenues for amicable resolution, but the government has continued to ignore their demands.
“We are therefore left with no option but to withdraw our services indefinitely until our demands are met,” Zachariah stated.
He directed all judiciary staff in the 13 Local Government Areas of the state to stay away from work and ensure total compliance until further notice from the leadership of the union.
Newsmen report that on Tuesday, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN, sitting in Abuja, issued an interim order restraining JUSUN, in Nasarawa State from embarking on their planned strike.
The order was granted following an ex-parte application filed by the NasarawaState Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Isaac Danladi.
The application followed a seven-day ultimatum issued by JUSUN to the state government, warning that judicial activities would be shut down if the union’s demands were not addressed.
The court directed that the restraining order would remain in force pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.