The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in Abia State has sustained its indefinite strike, shutting down courts across the state for nearly two weeks.
The union is demanding payment of accumulated leave allowances dating back to 2018, implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary, and harmonisation of judiciary workers’ basic salary structure with that of other public servants.
JUSUN Secretary, Comrade Pastor Chibuzo Nwachukwu, stated that the strike followed the government’s refusal to honouragreements previously reached on the matter.
“We are agitating because the government is paying other workers while excluding judiciary staff,” he said. Nwachukwu also dismissed claims that the strike is politically motivated, describing them as “laughable”.
The union served the government 20-day, 14-day, and seven-day notices before resorting to strike action, but received no response.
Nwachukwu insisted that the outstanding leave allowances were not solely incurred under the current administration of Governor Alex Otti, but also accumulated during the tenures of former governors Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu.
The strike, he said, will continue indefinitely until all the union’s demands are fully met.
