Recently, proceedings in some courts across the country were grounded due to the nationwide strike declared by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos State, came to a standstill. Additionally, the Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, was deserted, with activities halted following the nationwide strike by the union. JUSUN’s national leadership had, in a circular dated May 30, 2025, and signed by the Acting National Secretary, M.J. Akwashiki, directed all state chapters to embark on an indefinite strike beginning at midnight on Sunday, June 1.
According to the union, the industrial action became necessary after negotiations with the Federal Government broke down. However, after two days of grounding activities across federal courts in the country, the JUSUN called off its indefinite strike to press for the payment of the N70,000 new national minimum wage, and the 25/35 per cent salary increase for workers under the consolidated public service salary structure.
The decision to call off the strike was sequel to the timely intervention of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, which will expectedly enhance the quick resolution of the judicial workers’ grievances.
It is a welcome development that judicial workers under the umbrella of JUSUN have called off their strike. However, it is a bad testimony for the government that judicial workers, who represent a very important component of governance, would go on strike for reasons bordering on welfare, remuneration, and sundry conditions of service. The government should, as a matter of utmost urgency, listen to the grievances of the judicial workers to prevent further strike action, which would ground the progress and activities of court proceedings across the country.
Without doubt, any strike by judicial workers will undermine and negatively affect that vital arm of the government. During the last strike by the judicial workers, many cases were unattended to, cases that required rulings that would lead to the freedom of people in detention. These people remained in detention, and their misery extended as a result of the strike. Although the recent strike action by the judicial workers has been called off, the enormous negative effect cannot immediately be aggregated or quantified. Therefore, the federal government must do everything possible now to avert further strike action by the judicial workers.
It is good that the CJN intervened and promised to get back to JUSUN with positive results. We believe that one month would be enough to address the issues and concerns of the workers. The government should avoid unnecessary delays that may force the workers back to the trenches and cripple judicial proceedings in the country. Also, the judicial workers should make it a win-win situation by making themselves available for negotiations and listening to the government. JUSUN should allow reason to prevail. Nevertheless, the rights of the judicial workers must be protected.
All the stakeholders in the judiciary should endeavour to ensure that further strikes are avoided. The culture of making strikes the first option in response to welfare demands by workers in different sectors in the country must be avoided because strike in the wider perspective is retrogressive and counter-productive. When judicial workers go on strike, freedom is denied and justice is crippled. This is not healthy for a functional democracy.
The persistent strike by workers in one sector could motivate workers in another sector to also go on strike, thereby weakening the economy and the proper functioning of the government. Therefore, strikes by workers should be discouraged and de-emphasized because resources lost during the periods of strikes cannot be recovered. President Bola Tinubu should ensure that workers in the judicial arm of government are properly catered for, even if it means making sacrifices on the part of the government.
The same conciliatory approach should also be replicated across all the states in the country. State governors must guarantee the welfare of judicial workers in their states. Doing so will prevent the recourse to strike by judicial workers. While we laud JUSUN for calling off the strike, we urge the government to do the needful to avert a repeat of the strike by judicial workers.