The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) began a strike on Monday, with the Federal High Court chapter locking out judges, lawyers, staff and litigants from accessing the court premises.

This followed the indefinite strike declared by its national body over the government’s failure to implement salary adjustment based on the new minimum wage of N70,000 and the payments of wage awards.

Judges, staff, lawyers, litigants and public members were denied access as business activities in and around the court were paralysed.

At the Federal High Court headquarters located along the Shehu Shagari Way in Abuja, all the entrance gates into the high-rise building were under lock.

The Court of Appeal and the FCT High Court in Maitama have been placed under lockdown, with a banner labelled “JUSUN on strike” hung on the gate.

The JUSUN national body had, on May 30, in a circular by its acting national secretary, M.J. Akwashiki, asked all its chapters’ chairs to, effective from midnight Sunday, June 1, direct all their members to stay at home.

It said, “This directive follows unfruitful meetings in the instance of the Minister of Labour and Employment, who was conciliating on our matter.

“We believe that, as directed by the organs of the union, National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) of our great union, the action will continue until further notice.

“Our demands are for the government to pay us five months wage awards, implement the 70,000 national minimum wage, and implement the 25/35 per cent salary increase. Solidarity forever.”

The strike proceeded despite the intervention of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who urged the union to hold off the strike to allow for negotiations with the federal government. 

However, judiciary workers under the National Judicial Council (NJC) and in the Supreme Court have their gates open and are not participating in the strike, in line with statements by Joel Ebiloma, JUSUN spokesperson, and Danladi Nda, chairman of JUSUN’s Supreme Court chapter, over the weekend that the council and the apex court would not take part in the strike.

Efforts to chat with some executive members of the union. were unsuccessful, as they were said to be in a meeting.

Although there were reports that some chapters of the union had backed out from the industrial action, as of 9:48 a.m., the Federal High Court gates were still locked.