Enugu JUSUN resumed its strike over unpaid salary arrears and delayed judiciary salary structure.
The union said the action will continue until financial autonomy and workers’ entitlements are fully implemented.
The Enugu State chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has reinstated its suspended strike to protest the non-payment of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure (CONJUSS) and several outstanding salary arrears.
The union has long campaigned across various states for the full application of Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for financial autonomy of state judiciaries. Under this provision, salaries, allowances and pensions of judicial personnel are to be drawn from a dedicated judiciary fund rather than through state executive channels.
In a circular dated September 12, 2025 and jointly signed by the state chairman and secretary, Sampson Ifedimma and Onyia Jonas, JUSUN instructed all judicial employees in Enugu to stop work from 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 12.
According to the union, the industrial action is a necessary response to long-standing neglect of workers’ welfare despite the state government’s announcement of financial autonomy for the judiciary. It said the strike is aimed at forcing the Chief Judge and the President of the Customary Court of Appeal to begin immediate payment of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure pending since 2018 as well as four months of unpaid wages owed to staff recruited into the High Court in October 2022 and seven months owed to their counterparts in the Customary Court of Appeal.
The union expressed frustration that Governor Peter Mbah’s public declaration of full financial autonomy at a recent Nigerian Bar Association conference had not translated into concrete benefits for judicial workers. It accused the heads of the state judiciary of failing to implement the autonomy measures or clear the outstanding salary obligations.
JUSUN noted that despite years of patience and appeals, judiciary staff in Enugu had been “left without their rightful entitlements and welfare packages.” The statement added that the union regards the continued delays as a violation of the dignity and contributions of judiciary workers in the state.
While reaffirming its openness to negotiation, the union stressed that the strike would continue until its demands are met. It urged all members to remain steadfast, united and disciplined throughout the industrial action, calling the dispute “a collective struggle for fairness and respect.”
