Judiciary workers during a protest
Enugu State chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has initiated an indefinite strike to protest unpaid salary arrears and outstanding entitlements.
In an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Enugu, Mr. Sampson Ifedimma, the state JUSUN chairman, confirmed the strike action.
“We are not on strike for luxury or frivolities. We are on strike because, despite autonomy, workers’ welfare has been neglected,” Ifedimma declared.
The strike, which commenced on Friday at 6:00 p.m., follows a directive from JUSUN’s national leadership and resumes a previously suspended industrial action.
The union is demanding the implementation of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure, unpaid since 2018, as well as four months’ arrears for High Court staff employed since October 2022 and seven months’ arrears for Customary Court employees.
Ifedimma emphasized the constitutional mandate under Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that judicial officers’ salaries, allowances, and pensions be paid directly from state judiciary consolidated funds, bypassing executive or civil service channels. “Silence in the face of injustice is betrayal,” he asserted, urging the Chief Judge and the President of the Customary Court of Appeal in Enugu to act swiftly.
While acknowledging the state government’s efforts toward judicial autonomy, Ifedimma stressed that staff welfare remains overlooked.
He noted that JUSUN’s national body is open to dialogue and would suspend the strike once their demands are met.
