Ogun judicial workers suspend strike after meeting with govt

Judicial workers in Ogun State on Wednesday suspended the ongoing five-day warning strike over non-payment of their 40 percent peculiar allowance.

The workers, under the aegis of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Ogun State chapter, on Monday shut down the state high court and magistrates’ court in Isabo, Abeokuta, following the commencement of the industrial action.

The development left litigants and lawyers stranded as judges were prevented from carrying out their duties.

Our correspondent gathered that the state government later engaged the angry workers on their demands.

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The leadership of JUSUN on Wednesday bowed to pressure and announced suspension of the industrial action.

JUSUN Publicity Secretary, Adewale Adenekan, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abeokuta.

“After a robust and extensive discussion about the demands of the union, Ogun State Government representatives, for the first time, agreed to pay the peculiar allowance to judiciary workers.

“As against the previous adamant stand of the government that the allowance was paid to close the gap between what the core civil servant in the state were earning and those agencies that have consolidated salaries structure are earning and that judiciary workers having been on consolidated salary structure are not entitled to the allowance.

“During the discussion, the leadership of JUSUN presented the approval issued by the National Salaries and Wages Commission to the NJC for the payment of the peculiar allowance to the Federal Judiciary Workers to support our claim and that judiciary as an independent body entitled to the allowance.

“As the deliberations are going, we discovered that the document has an attachment that is missing. Hence, for the document to be considered as useful for its purpose, we were told to find the attachment for the negotiation to continue.

“Sequence to the above, the leadership of the union after consultation with our national headquarters has decided to suspend the ongoing 5 days’ warning strike to give room for further consultation and in the spirit of sincere negotiation and collective bargaining.”

The union directed members to resume work on Thursday.