RIVERS: NATIONAL BODY OF JUSUN TO EMBARK ON SOLIDARITY STRIKE

The national leadership of the Judicial Staff Workers of Nigeria, JUSUN, has threatened to embark on a solidarity strike with Judiciary workers in Rivers State.

This is coming barely a month after judiciary workers in Rivers State went on strike following the crisis in the state judiciary.

Judiciary workers in Rivers State had been on strike since June 10, 2014, when JUSUN alleged that the state government had issued a letter suspending the release of fund for the

judiciary overhead cost.

National Publicity Secretary, Kayode Igbarago, who spoke in Port Harcourt said the industrial action by the union was without any compromise.

Igbarago also denied the allegation that the state leadership had been bought over by government.

He said the position of the National Judicial Council and the Rivers State government on the issue of the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge placed the Judiciary workers in a dilema.

Igbarago disclosed that the national leadership of JUSUN had decided to take over the strike issue, adding that the state officers of the body no longer had control over the matter.

The national publicity secretary of JUSUN further noted that the congress followed due process before embarking on the strike.

In his words, “JUSUN has further endorsed the strike going on in

Rivers State Judiciary because it followed a procedure of the constitution of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria and the strike as endorsed by the National Executive Council remains.

“The workers in the judiciary of Rivers State cannot serve two masters.

“The NJC has appointed a head; the Rivers State Government has appointed another head due to the amendment of the High Court Rules.

“It will interest you to know that the Rivers State Government also went the extent of, through the Judicial Service Commission, issuing a circular that anybody who takes instruction from the administrative judge stands the risk of being dismissed and salaries of these workers were withheld.

“We (JUSUN) are saying that we have a duty to protect the rights of our workers.

“Rivers State Government and the NJC should settle their differences before any judiciary worker will go to work”.

Igbarago, however, disclosed that the National Executive Council of JUSUN would meet on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, hinting that the Rivers State judiciary crisis would be one of the agenda.