Judicial and legislative workers are set to end their two-month-old industrial action that has led to the shutting down of courts and state legislative houses nationwide.
Following a meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on Friday between the federal government and the leadership of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), the workers agreed to meet with their organs with a view to formally calling off the strike.
The union’s decision came just as the federal government said that the state governors have finally signed the agreement reached with the workers that will enable the implementation of full financial autonomy to take off.
At the end of the meeting with the representatives of the unions, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said that all outstanding issues have now been sorted out and that the doors of the courts and state legislatures will be opened as from next week.
He said: “Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and his deputy, Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal has put their pen on paper on behalf of the 36 state governors on the historic agreement which we reached on May 20. So today, we are meeting with the unions in a small dialogue to dot the i’s and cross the t’s in the agreement.
“Right now, we expect the unions to go back to their members on a final briefing on what we have achieved today. From this achievement of today, we hope that next week, the chambers of our state Assemblies and doors of our courts will be open,” he said.
Details later…