Judiciary Workers Suspend Strike …Rivers Not Affected

The Judiciary Staff
Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), the umbrella union of judiciary workers nationwide, last Friday suspended its 21-day old strike following the intervention of the minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.
However, the suspension of the strike action did not affect the Rivers State branch of the union, as the workers have vowed to continue on the strike until the state government and the National Judiciary Council (NJC) resolve their differences over the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge in the State.
The suspension of the strike was part of the Memorandum of Under standing reached at the end of a meeting between the Minister and Jusun Leadership in  Abuja, over the weekend.
The meeting noted among other things that the issues in dispute were constitutional matters in which judgments had been given in a suit No FHC/ABJ/CS667/13 between Jusun and the National Judicial Council  (ABC).
“The Federal Government was not in breach of the constitution, and therefore, the judgment cAn not be enforced against it.”
“The state governments are obliged to respect the provision of the 1999 Constitution as amended and comply with the aforementioned judgement of the court” it stated.
The union further directed the technical committee to work out modalities for the implementation of the Judgement dated January 13, 2014, adding that the committee should work out the modalities for implementing the mou from Friday August 1 to Monday, August 4.
It is however, added that no Jusun member shall be victimized for participating in the strike.
Meanwhile, the state chairman of Jusun has said their reluctance to resume work was based on the directive from the state government that they should not deal with anybody appointed by the NJC purporting to act as Administrative Judge for the state.
The NJC had directed the most senior judge in the Rivers State High Court Customary Court of Appeal to oversee the assigning cases to judges.
Comrade Sokari averred that they were in dilemma as they were employees of the state government and not of NJC and therefore can only obey their employers. He stressed that judges need their services to function but could only receive services to function but could only receive directive from their employers and not from judges who recure directive from the NJC.
It would be recalled that the state judiciary workers had been on strike citing insecurity at their work places and conflicting directives from Rivers State Judicial Service Commission and the National Judicial Council (NJC).