…Insists leave allowance already embedded in salaries
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Abia State Government has challenged judiciary workers currently on strike to present proof that leave bonus is not included in their consolidated salary package, vowing to pay them within 48 hours if such evidence is provided.
At a press briefing in Umuahia, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN), said the dispute could be resolved swiftly if the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) produces evidence showing that leave bonus is not already built into workers’ consolidated pay.
“If they prove that leave bonus is not a component of their salary, we will pay within 48 hours,” Uwanna said, setting a clear condition for resolution.
The government maintained that judiciary workers are on a consolidated salary structure that already captures leave benefits, dismissing the union’s demand as unfounded. It also accused JUSUN of escalating the crisis without substantiating its claims with payroll records.
According to Uwanna, repeated requests for documentation from the union were ignored, only for the government to be served with a strike notice.
“What we expected was evidence. What we got was industrial action,” he said.
The Attorney General further linked the strike to the union’s refusal to participate in an ongoing staff verification exercise, warning that the move is obstructing efforts to sanitise the system and facilitate payments to retired judiciary workers.
He disclosed that the verification exercise had been carefully negotiated to respect judicial independence but was abruptly stalled on the day it was scheduled to begin.
“That coincidence raises serious questions,” Uwanna noted, hinting at possible resistance to accountability measures.
He cautioned that failure to verify staff could perpetuate irregularities, including the presence of ghost workers, and appealed to the union to reconsider its position in the interest of pensioners affected by the impasse.
Also speaking, the Accountant General, Njum Onyemanam, said the judiciary must submit proper documentation before any payment can be processed, stressing that the government cannot act outside due process.
“The judiciary controls its payroll. They must provide verifiable proof to support their claims,” she said.
Other officials at the briefing included the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu; Commissioner for Labour, Kingsley Nwokocha; and the Senior Special Assistant on Labour Relations, Godson Anucha.
