The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Enugu Chapter, has announced the commencement of an indefinite strike over unpaid salary arrears.
The state chairman of JUSUN, Mr Sampson Ifedimma, confirmed the development in an interview on Sunday in Enugu.
He explained that the strike marks the resumption of an earlier suspended industrial action prompted by the non-payment of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure (CONJUSS) and other outstanding entitlements.
JUSUN has consistently protested in several states against the non-implementation of financial autonomy for state judiciaries, as provided under Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution. The provision mandates that judicial officers’ salaries, allowances, and pensions be paid directly from state judiciary consolidated funds, rather than through executive or civil service channels.
According to Ifedimma, the strike began on Friday following a directive from the JUSUN national body instructing judiciary workers in Enugu to withdraw services from 6:00 p.m.
“We are not on strike for luxury or frivolities. We are on strike because, in spite of autonomy, workers’ welfare has been neglected,” he said.
He stressed that while the state government had implemented judicial autonomy, staff welfare had been overlooked. “Silence in the face of injustice is betrayal,” he added.
Ifedimma called on the Chief Judge and the President of the Customary Court of Appeal in Enugu to commence immediate payment of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure, pending since 2018.
He also demanded the settlement of four months’ arrears owed to staff employed in the High Court since October 2022, and seven months’ arrears owed to those in the Customary Court.
According to him, JUSUN in Enugu is only requesting that the heads of courts implement the consolidated salary structure in a way that prioritises staff welfare.
He further noted that the union’s national body remained open to negotiations if invited, adding that the strike would be suspended once their demands were fully addressed.
