The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Federal High Court Headquarters, and Court of Appeal have locked the respective courts over the alleged failure of the Federal Government to implement the new minimum wage, the 25/35% salary increment, and the wage award for judiciary staff.
The chairmen of JUSUN in the FCT High Court and Federal High Courts, Messrs. Abdulrazaq Yusuf and Samuel Ikpatt, disclosed the reason for the strike to Nairametrics on Monday.
Nairametrics observed on Monday that the FCT High Court Maitama, FHC Headquarters, and Appeal Court Headquarters are locked by members of the union, while the Supreme Court of Nigeria remains in full operation.
Why Courts Remain Locked
In a circular by JUSUN FHC, for instance, tagged “NOTICE OF AN INDEFINITE STRIKE ACTION” and dated May 30, 2025, members were notified of the union’s decision to embark on an indefinite strike commencing from Monday, June 2, 2025.
- According to the circular, the development followed the decision reached by the national leadership of the union after failed negotiations with the Minister of Labour and Employment on May 30, 2025.
“The union’s decision to embark on strike was informed by the failure of the Federal Government to implement the new minimum wage, the 25/35% salary increment, and the wage award for judiciary staff.
“ In light of this, all members of staff are hereby requested to remain at home until further notice,” the circular partly read.
Reaction to the Ongoing Strike
Speaking with Nairametrics, Yusuf said it was the Supreme Court and National Judicial Council that pulled out of the ongoing strike, adding, “but the FCT High Court is completely shut down. All the FCT High Court jurisdictions are completely shut down.”
- He maintained that judiciary workers are demanding their rights following the national minimum wage that was approved by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for Nigerian workers.
- He alleged that the FCT judiciary workers have not started enjoying the financial review “for almost 11 months now.”
“Then there is the wage award before the consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage. The federal government said that there is a wage award. And FCT High Court and other federal judiciary staff have not received that wage award for five months”, he added.
- He stressed that members are seeking the release of the five-month arrears of the wage award.
“Then there is a 25-35% increment for consolidated public salary structures, which the FCT judiciary and the federal judiciary are part of. We have not started enjoying that for almost a year now. So this is our agitation. We are fighting for our rights.
“We agreed that they are going to give a N70,000 minimum wage, which other places have started enjoying,” he said.
He maintained that, as other Nigerians are getting the minimum wage, the judiciary staff also deserve it.
On his part, Ikpatt told Nairametrics that the FHC did not pull out of the ongoing strike as directed by the national union.
He added that FHC offices nationwide are under lock.
What You Should Know
President Bola Tinubu, in 2024, signed the new N70,000 national minimum wage into law.
The President signed the bill during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa.
- Nairametrics earlier reported that Tinubu and leaders of Organised Labour had reached an agreement setting N70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
- Initially, the federal government proposed a sum of N62,000, but labour insisted on N250,000, resulting in a deadlock between both parties.
- The truce between the government and labour followed a series of talks between labour leaders and the President in the last few weeks, after months of failed negotiations between labour organs and a tripartite committee on minimum wage constituted by the President in January.
The committee, which comprised state and federal governments and the Organised Private Sector, had proposed N62,000 while labour insisted on N250,000 as the new minimum wage for workers who currently earn N30,000 as minimum wage.
Labour had said N30,000 was unsustainable for any worker, given the economic vagaries of inflation and the high cost of living which followed the removal of petrol subsidy by the President.
