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Members of the
Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in Ekiti State yesterday
staged a peaceful rally to protest alleged refusal of the state
government to implement Consolidated Judiciary Workers Salary Structure
(CONJUSS).

The workers, who
took to the streets of Ado-Ekiti to register their displeasure against
what they said was government insensitivity to their plight, carried
placards of various inscriptions during the protest, which lasted for
over one hour. The JUSUN members also obstructed traffic along
Fajuyi-Okesa area of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

While addressing
reporters, the state chairman of the union, Michael Ibiyemi, said the
workers had no option than to embark on a street protest, having
endured suffering for so long. He said his members are prepared to
embark on an indefinite strike if the state government fails to
implement the new salary scale for them.

“We have been
agitating for CONJUSS for the past four years. At least 15 other
states, including Borno, Rivers, Delta and Adamawa, have implemented
the welfare package for their judiciary staff,” he said. “The suffering
inflicted on judiciary workers has left many of them indebted and
unable to take care of our families, with many of them barely managing
to come to office.”

Total shutdown

He wondered why the
state governor, Olusegun Oni, had not responded to their demands, and
described a panel set up by the state government to look into their
demands as a “kangaroo panel” which had done nothing to ameliorate
their sufferings.

“If by Monday,
government fails to accede to our demands, it will be a total shutdown
of all the courts in the state and all we are saying is that they must
implement our demand for the implementation of CONJUSS,” he said.

“We are agitating for autonomy and this has not been looked into.
The kangaroo panel set up to ensure CONJUSS implementation has failed
to do anything, while the governor himself has not done anything”