Enugu Judiciary Workers Embark On Industrial Action

FROM IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu – The Enugu state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria has embarked on an indefinite strike.

African Examiner gathered that the judiciary workers downed tools to press home their demand for the implementation of an Abuja Federal High Court judgment, which ordered the federal and state governments to comply with constitutional provisions on the independence and financial autonomy of the judiciary.

When our correspondent went to the state high court complex located at Independence Layout area of Enugu, its main gate was under lock and key.

The situation however, has paralysed every judicial activity in the state, as cases already scheduled for today (Wednesday) could not be heard.

Reacting to the development, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Anthony Ani, SAN, described the industrial action as “mischievous and uncalled for.”

He said the strike “must have been deliberately designed to embarrass the state government as it neither owed workers nor was withholding any funds due to the judiciary in the state”.

The state government he said, had already accepted the judgment of the Abuja FHC, which according to him, was in line with the State Judiciary Self Accounting Laws being implemented in the state since 1991.

The Commissioner, also argued that judicial workers (JUSUN) flouted the agreement reached with the state government by failing to nominate a bank, and furnishing a bank account, where the fund would be paid into by the state’s accountant-general, after it had been separated from the consolidated account.

According to him, various arrangements made for JUSUN to meet the accountant-general to work out modalities to enhance bulk payment proved abortive as the union did not comply with such arrangements.

He described as embarrassing the union’s decision to lock the gate of the state high court complex.

The Attorney-General wondered why the judicial workers should take such action without seeking the advice of the monitoring committee set up on its own to ensure the full implementation of the agreement reached with the state government

He therefore, advised the workers to have a rethink over their action, saying they were not fair to the state government.