Workers in Edo state have blacklegged an ongoing nationwide strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, citing 2015 experience in which they were not paid for the period of a strike they took part in.
Correspondents in Benin City visiting the state high court and other judicial offices found workers at their duty posts in defiance of a strike directive by JUSUN.
JUSUN called a strike to demand financial autonomy for the judiciary.
But workers say they are not ready for the strike because they joined a similar strike called by JUSUN in 2015 and were denied pay for the entire period of the strike.
“In 2015, we joined the nationwide strike, the state government refused to pay our salary for the period of the strike and the national body didn’t not intervene and till date we were not paid,” one worker said on conditions of anonymity.
He said the workers do not want a repeat of the episode hence they decided not to join the strike even if the state executive order them to join.
Speaking with our reporter on the development, JUSUN state chairman, Uyi Ogieriakhi, said they got the information late on last Thursday and couldn’t address the workers before the close of work.
“The truth of the matter is that in 2015, we joined this same strike and the Edo state government under Adams Oshiomhole refused to pay us the six months period of the strike, including the one month he was owing us before making it seven months,”.
“So the workers are afraid, these are poor workers that lived on their salaries and the national body just directed that we should proceed on another strike.
“But that is not the issue, We got the information late on Thursday and Friday and Monday was public holiday and we couldn’t address our members,”.
“So, the option is that they should come to work today so that we can brief them on what has been directed. It is a directive from the national body and we can’t say no to that,”.
He added, “Don’t look at the situation today, we may decide to go tomorrow because we got the directive late.”
According to him, giving the judiciary financial autonomy will aid administration of Justice in the country as judges will not go cap in hand to the executive for funding.
