Leaders of the striking members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) rose from a meeting with the National Judicial Council (NJC) on Tuesday evening with a promise to suspend their over two- month strike.
The Nation learnt the NJC team, comprising the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad and some other court head, prevailed on the JUSUN leaders to end the strike since an agreement has been reached with Governors to allow financial autonomy for the Judiciary at the state level.
It was also learnt they only agreed to a three-month suspension to enable the Governors comply with the agreement that provide for the direct transfer of funds due to the Judiciary to court heads.
JUSUN’s National Treasurer, Jimoh Musa confirmed the meeting and his group’s decision to suspend the strike.
Musa said the final decision on when the suspension should take effect is with JUSUN’s National Executive Council (NEC), which is scheduled to hold a hybrid meet at 2pm on Wednesday,where participation could also be via zoom.
He said JUSUN’s leaders’ position at the meeting with the NJC was that the governors remain unfaithful to the agreement between now and the next three months, the suspended strike would resume.
According to the JUSUN National Treasurer, the Governors were yet to commence direct payment of monthly allocations from the federation account to the judiciary as agreed in the series of reconciliatory meetings convened by the Labour Minister, Chris Ngige.
“They (Governors) have not started paying (the funds directly to the NJC). We are waiting for the state governors to commence payment so that we can inform our workers,” he said.
Meanwhile the JUSUN secretariat, on Tuesday evening, issued a notice for the NEC meeting, scheduled for Wednesday at the group’s Secretariat.
Part of it reads: “The meeting with the National Judicial Council (NJC) held today and the outcome necessitate an emergency NEC.
“You are hereby invited to an emergency NEC meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday 9th, June 2021 at 2.00pm. The venue remains the secretariat.
“As agreed in the last NEC, an emergency NEC meeting could be called at any time, hence this call.”
