Judicial workers in Ogun State began a five-day warning strike on Monday due to nonpayment of their 40% unique allowance.
Workers from the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria’s Ogun state branch shut down the state high court and magistrate court in Isabo, Abeokuta, the state capital.
When our correspondent visited the court on Monday, lawyers were stranded since judges were unable to carry out their duties.
Speaking on the industrial action, Olarenwaju Ajiboye, the state chairman of JUSUN, stated that the workers were obliged to go on strike due to the state government’s failure to meet their demands.
According to Ajiboye, the union’s strike began after the state government’s 21-day ultimatum expired.
“Today, Ogun state judicial workers commenced a five-day warning strike to protest the non-payment of 40 per cent peculiar allowance of judicial workers by the state government.
“After the warning strike, if the Ogun state government fails to do the needful, the union will proceed on indefinite strike come 18 March 2024.
“In August 2023, the state government commenced the payment of non-peculiar allowance to the core civil servants, immediately we became aware of this, we informed our national body who wrote three letters – one to the Head of Service and two to the governor directly on the matter.
“The Head of Service called a meeting with the union and other stakeholders to discuss the way forward. The reasons given to the union for the government not to pay the money were not tenable and not acceptable to the union, which is why we proceeded on a day warning strike.
“The union held its congress where a 21-day ultimatum was issued to the state government to do the needful failure of which will lead to five days warning strike after which we will proceed on indefinite strike,” Ajiboye said.