The national leadership of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria and the Osun State chapter of the union may be heading for collision following a disagreement between the two on the ongoing industrial action and protest against the Osun State Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo.

JUSUN in Osun had since Monday locked the entrance to the state high court in Osogbo and also picketed the office of the Chief Judge, thus paralysing judicial activities in the state capital.

The protesting Osun court workers among others, accused the Chief Judge of denying them their wardrobe allowances for three years and stopping their annual training.

The protest, which began on Monday, deepened on Wednesday when the workers were teargassed by the police to prevent them from mobbing the Chief Judge when she came to her office.

Following the intervention of the police, the chairman of JUSUN in Osun, Adepele Ojo, declared an indefinite strike by the court workers.

On Thursday, our correspondent, who visited the court, reported that the workers stayed away from work.

But the JUSUN national body in a circular on Thursday knocked the Osun chapter for proceeding on a strike and picketing the CJ’s office, saying the state chapter did not seek the approval of the national body before taking the action.

The circular signed by the Deputy President, Emmanuel Abioye (for the president), directed the Osun court workers to immediately call off the strike and return to work.

The circular by the national JUSUN read: “Our attention has been drawn to the unfortunate incident of unrest currently permeating the Osun State judiciary as a result of the activity of some unscrupulous elements causing confusion in the name of the union in the Osun State judiciary and we hereby state as follows:

“Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, as a responsible union, has never and will never take any perceived or real partisan position in all its activities with individuals or organisation.

“Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria has never directed or approved that any of its members should proceed on any protest or picketing activity in Osun State Judiciary or any other state to settle any perceived or real political scores.

“Consequently, upon the above-highlighted position, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria hereby dissociates itself from any action taken so far by any set of people whatsoever under whatever guise and the national secretariat views such action as a calculated attempt by some set of people to play cheap political games with the intent to blackmail the union and tarnish our good image and good reputation built over the years.

“We, thereby, warn that under no guise should any of our members participate in any illegal picketing, protest or job boycotting whatsoever.”

But reacting in an interview with The PUNCH, Osun JUSUN chairman, Eludire, said he was surprised at the stance of the national leadership of the union, and insisted that the strike would go on.

Eludire said, “It caught me by surprise (the position of National JUSUN), because, in union matter, we all know that the common slogan is that ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’.

“Let’s first look at our demands from this perspective; are we demanding for our personal self or the generality of our people? And I think that should be the priority of a formidable union.

“We are not fighting the Chief Judge. We are only demanding our right from her and she have never come out bold to say all we are saying are lies. It is on this note that whatever the national may be saying against us, calling us all sorts of names is nothing, anybody should reckon with.

“We have not done anything contrary to the law. There may be a technical hitch, maybe some necessary papers that we ought to have tendered to the national were not tendered, but we believe that a drastic issue deserves drastic actions and that is why you see us in that condition.

“As of yesterday, the Conference of Judges approached us for a dialogue and we have opened room that. We can’t resolve issues without dialogue. When there is no meeting point, there cannot be a rallying point.

“So, we are trying to see what we can get from that by coming together and see the possibility of resolving the issue without further delay. The strike is still on till further directive.”

In this article