Odahiekwu Ogunde
Bayelsa State chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria has decried the plan to sideline its members in the payment of minimum wage.
It has, therefore, threatened to embark on an industrial action if the salaries of its members were not fully paid with the minimum wage by the state government.
JUSUN frowned on the decision reached by the State Government Minimum Wage Committee to allegedly remove judiciary workers from the minimum wage consideration, despite their peculiarity.
They vowed to resist the plan and issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government to rescind the decision on salary reduction or face a shutdown of the judiciary in the state.
The resolution was contained in a communique issued after the union’s congress held in Yenagoa on Thursday.
The communique was jointly signed by the Chairman of JUSUN, Bayelsa State chapter, Mrs Koin Selepreye, and the Assistant Secretary, Mr Eneye Kebbi-Sampor.
They commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Executive Order 10 giving all state judiciaries and Houses of Assembly financial autonomy.
They judiciary workers said, “We had a call last Friday and we were told that the current salary we receive would be reviewed downward. That is to say we have been denied the N30,000 minimum wage.
“We don’t understand why that can happen because we have been earning it. We even met with the state’s Head of Service on two occasions to be part of the minimum wage committee because of our peculiarity.
“The congress is therefore giving a 14-day ultimatum for the government to rescind the decision reached by the state on salary reduction to avoid a shutdown of the judicial system. We are saying no to it. If they succeed in reducing our salary with the minimum wage or we smell that certain amount is removed, then we will shut the doors of the courts in Bayelsa.”