State Judiciary Employees Begin Nationwide Strike

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, July 10, (THEWILL) - The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has directed members across the nation to shut down all courts with immediate effect except federal courts for failure of state governments to implement the Judgment of a Federal High Court on the financial autonomy for the state judiciaries.

It directed members to implement the industrial action beginning on Friday, July 11, 2014.

In a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee of the union, JUSUN urged Federal judiciary workers to be ready to join the strike in solidarity with the state employees.

The communiqué which was jointly signed by the National President of the union, comrade Marwan Mustapha Adamu and the General Secretary, Comrade Isaiah Adetola described as 'unfair' the conflicting directives by the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to workers for and against returning to work, adding that workers cannot serve two masters.

It said the union cannot resume work unless the critical stakeholders in Rivers state amicably resolve the leadership crisis plaguing the union in the state so as to ensure security of workers.

The communiqué reads in part: 'After the exhaustive deliberation on the refusal/failure of state Governments to respect/implement the Federal High Court Abuja, judgment /orders in respect of financial autonomy of state Judiciaries as well as failure of stakeholders to abide by the decision to set up a technical implementation committee of the FAAC meeting of 17th June 2014, it is resolved by NEC as follows.

'That all Judiciary staff at state level nationwide should proceed on an indefinite strike with effect from Friday 11th July 2014.

'That the National secretariat of the union shall notify Federal Judiciary workers to join the action as events unfolds.

'That the National Executive Committee of the union after a review of events in Rivers state Judiciary also resolved that JUSUN members in the state should continue and sustain their current strike until the major stakeholders, find an amicable resolution of the leadership crisis in Rivers state judiciary.

'The security and protection of our members is no longer guaranteed in this leadership crisis that engulfed the Rivers State Judiciary in the last one year.

'Meanwhile the NEC in session has announced total takeover of action in River state”.