Judiciary workers, under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), are mobilizing their members for the nationwide protest declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
In a press statement issued on Saturday by Comrade M. J. Akwashiki, JUSUN General Secretary, it was announced that the mobilisation was in response to the NLC and TUC’s declaration of industrial action starting Monday, June 3, 2024. The protest is due to the government’s failure to conclude the negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage and its refusal to reverse the increase in electricity tariffs.
The statement reads: “Following a declaration of industrial action by NLC and TUC, beginning from Monday, June 3, 2024, due to the inability of the government to conclude the negotiation of the new National Minimum Wage and refusal to reverse the increase in electricity tariff, I am directed to inform you to commence mobilisation ahead of the action. The action will start at midnight on Sunday nationwide, so all branches/chapters chairmen and secretaries of JUSUN are expected to ensure strict compliance with this directive.”
The statement further instructed, “All vice presidents of our great union are to monitor their respective zones to ensure compliance with the total shutdown of all Courts and Judicial Institutes across Nigeria. Note that the nationwide action is to ensure the government (a) agrees on a new national minimum wage and subsequently passes it into law before the end of this month as they were notified, (b) reverses the hike in electricity tariff without consulting the stakeholders as required by law to N225/kWh back to N66/kWh, and (c) stops the apartheid categorization of Nigerian electricity consumers into bands.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) declared a nationwide strike starting Monday, June 3, 2024, due to the tripartite committee’s failure to agree on a new minimum wage.
TUC President Festus Osifo announced the strike at a joint news conference with NLC leadership in Abuja on Friday, stating that the decision followed the expiration of an earlier request to the Federal Government to conclude all negotiations for a new minimum wage before the end of May.