Judges, lawyers, court staff and litigants were locked out of the Federal High Court (FHC) headquarters in Abuja on Monday as members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) commenced an indefinite strike action.
The court complex, located along Shehu Shagari Way in Central Area, Abuja, has all its entrances locked, effectively shutting down all activities within and around the premises.
This came despite a statement on Sunday in which the courts announced that its workers would not join the strike.
The strike also affected other key courts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Court of Appeal in Abuja and the FCT High Court were similarly shut, leaving litigants and legal practitioners stranded.
The industrial action followed a directive from JUSUN’s national body, which instructed all chapter chairmen to enforce a stay-at-home order starting from midnight on June 1.
In the communiqué signed by Acting General Secretary, M.J. Akwashiki, JUSUN attributed the strike to unproductive meetings with the Minister of Labour and Employment.
The demands of the judiciary workers include the payment of a five-month wage award, the implementation of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage, and salary increase.
However, on Sunday, the JUSUN chapter at the National Judicial Council released a statement through its Public Relations Officer, Mr Joel Ebiloma, announcing that the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the NJC, and the Federal High Court would not participate in the industrial strike.
The statement explained that the decision followed the intervention of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
It added that the relevant authorities had been granted a two-week grace period to address the union’s demands.
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