Members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Ondo State chapter, have agreed to suspend their industrial action following a resolution with the state government over the demand for full financial autonomy.
The truce, announced on Tuesday, came two weeks after the union commenced an indefinite strike that paralysed court activities across the state.
Confirming the development in a phone interview with The Nation, Ondo JUSUN Chairman, Oluwafemi Afolabi, said the union met with top government officials at the instance of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“At the meeting, Mr Governor pleaded with us to sheathe our swords and suspend the industrial action.
“He acknowledged our demand, which is simply for the judiciary to be allowed to control and expend its funds independently, as provided for under Ondo State laws,” Afolabi said.
He explained that the governor proposed the establishment of a committee to fast-track the implementation of judicial financial autonomy within the framework of the state budget.
According to him, the union has agreed to suspend the strike once the committee is formally constituted and begins work on delivering financial independence for the state’s judiciary.
“We are willing to suspend the industrial action. But if, with what we have discussed yesterday(Monday), we are to set up a committee, parties should be able to know the composition of such a committee, the terms of reference of such a committee, the limit and the period that the committee will work and deliver.
“The governor made us understand that by July, the implementation will take effect. Truly, in all honesty, he pleaded with us that by July, the committee should work between now and July so that the implementation can take off.
“It is already too late to do that, to implement it this June.
“But our own position arising from the meeting of the Executive of Jusun was that we should equally await the statement of the government side as regards our resolution. The government should be bold enough to come up and say this is what we discussed in the meeting of such nature.”
Confirming the meeting in an interview, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Kayode Ajulo, told our reporter that the state government has taken the first steps to address the strike action in a manner that will support the timely return of the judiciary workers to their duty post.
“Yes, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa met with the leadership of the JUSUN to discuss, and an agreement has been reached on a way forward in ensuring that their demands are met.
