Election Tribunals To Shut Down As Judicial Workers Join NLC Strike

Judicial workers under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) have begun mobilizing to join the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) protest strike against the fuel subsidy removal.

Naija News reports that the plan by the workers to join the strike means the Presidential Election Petitions Court sitting in Abuja and other governorship election petitions tribunals sitting across the 36 States of the Federation would be shut down.

In a memo dated June 3, the judicial workers said its members would proceed on a solidarity protest strike with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday.

The memo reads: “This is to inform all branches and chapters of our great union across Nigeria to begin mobilization for a nationwide action and withdrawal of service on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the sequel to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on June 2. 2023 at the Labour House in Abuja.”

Speaking with The Gazette, JUSUN executive, Isaiah Adetola, said the strike would affect all judicial workers, and the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal will have to shut down.

He said: “We cannot watch as Nigerian poor masses are dying on the streets because a government said there will be no going back on subsidy removal. That cannot be a realistic or acceptable situation for the Nigerian workers.

“Nigerian workers are not necessarily against removing subsidies on petrol, which have been in place since the 1970s, but decried the manner in which Tinubu ordered the policy.

“Millions of Nigerians are expected to be plunged further into poverty as food prices shoot up across the country.”

JUSUN, with over 120,000 members, is the latest union from a critical sector planning to go on strike after the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) also informed its members to withdraw services in protest against fuel subsidy removal.