Enugu State Govt Declares Judiciary Workers Strike Illegal

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Wednesday, April 5th, 2017

By IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, in Enugu State, South- East Nigeria, Mr. Meletus Eze, has declared as illegal the strike embarked upon by the judiciary workers in the state over non-implementation of their enhanced, “consolidated,” salary structure.

This is as the Executive arm of the State government has urged the striking workers to return to work.

African Examiner reports that the judiciary staff of all the courts in the state had on monday embarked on the industrial action over the non-implementation of the salary structure.

The entrance gate to the state high court, magistrate courts, customary courts and many other state courts were locked up, while judges and magistrates abandoned their offices.

Efforts to get reaction of chairman of the JUSUN, Barrister. Chinedu Mba was unsuccessful.

However, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice,who reacted to the development, insisted that the industrial action was illegal, stressing that it was even more annoying considering the fact that the government was not owing the judiciary workers.

He 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 that the JUSUN took the proposal to states and demanded that it should be implemented.

Eze, pointed out that the Enugu State Government took the matter to the National Industrial Court NIC and that on the 23rd September, 2016, the government secured an injunction barring the workers from going ahead to coerce government into adopting the salary structure.

According to him, “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” he stated.

Meanwhile, as at Tuesday, all the courts in the state were still under lock and key.