By Ugbor Samuel, Abakaliki
Leadership of the Judiciary Staff of Nigeria, have said that its members in Ebonyi State, will continue their striking action, if their demands were not met.
JUSUN members in Ebonyi are demanding for implementation of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Stucture, and are alleging Government’s refused to pay them their annual leave allowances and non authourisation of their promotions, since 2015.
The JUSUN leadership, which alleged that the claims by the State Government that it was workers’ friend was a ruse, also alleged that Ebonyi was the only State across the federation, that does not pay CONJUSS.
The National Vice President (South East Zone) JUSUN, Comrade Ifezue Mark, stated this during a telephone chat with our Correspondent, on Monday, maintaining that the more the Government ignored the Judiciary workers’ demands, the more their services would be withdrawn.
Comrade Mark, who noted that the Judiciary workers were ready to call off the strike should the authorities did the needful, observed that Government’s attitude towards every peaceful move, was discouraging on the Union members.
The National Vice President said, “Yes they are asking for CONJUSS and arrears of leave allowances. It may interest you to know also that the state government has refused to authorise staff promotions since 2015 or thereabout and some agents of the state government continue to claim that the state government is workers friendly. I challenge the state government to refute any of the above claim. Both CONJUSS and annual leave allowances are important because both are their entitlements and implementation of both are over due.
“The refusal of the state government to hearken to the demand of the workers could not be understood because the demand is not peculiar to Ebonyi state judiciary. Other states are enjoying this enhance allowances. It’s also a misconception on the part of the state government to claim that judiciary workers are asking for salary increase; the claim is most uncharitable.
“The branch is not asking for too much. Judiciary workers in Ebonyi state are among the least paid judiciary workers across the 36 states. I beg to be contradicted on this. So, it is most unfair to say that workers asking to be paid a living wage are asking for too much. The state government has the capacity to address the demands of the workers but deliberately refused to show that capacity.”
Mark added, “The issue is simple, and that’s paying Ebonyi state judiciary workers the consolidate judiciary salary already captured and approved in their budget.The refusal to pay the consolidate salary has nothing to do with me but with Ebonyi state judiciary workers that have remained the only judiciary through out the federation that is not benefitting from conjuss. This is verifiable.
“The issue has been on for the past 8 years,it wasn’t a new struggle. The union in Ebonyi state has exhausted all avenue for settlement but the attitude of the state government makes it impossible.
“The government cannot do that because it is within the right of the workers to withdraw their services if government failed to address their demand. Good a thing the government has not said the strike is illegal.
When they ignore us as they are presently doing,we will continue to withdraw our services. I will say nothing further until we are sacked. But I will add that nobody will play God because nobody is God. The demand of the workers are justified, wasn’t new and wasn’t peculiar to Ebonyi State. And no state government has sacked their workers over conjuss implementation.
“This has been on for the past 5 years. You can verify this from the Ebonyi state Judiciary. The demand of the workers of Ebonyi state judiciary are simple and that’s payment of conjuss as presently captured in their approved budget.
Efforts to get the Ebonyi State Government to really comment on the matter proved futile.
Calls made to the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, Mr Cletus
