The Osun state judiciary workers under the umbrella of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN on Monday during a picket have demanded improved welfare for their members.
As both the entrance and exit gates were put under lock and key, the protesting judiciary staff vowed to continue to picket the State High Court in Osogbo until their demands are met.
The judiciary staff who converged on the entrance gate of the State High Court were seen, carrying placards with different inscriptions specifying their various demands.
Watertight security was on ground to ensure that the situation did not get out of hands.
Addressing journalists, the chairman, JUSUN, Osun State charpter, comrade Oluwagbemiga Eludire who claimed to be unaware of the removal of the Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo, said the picketing was to demand for their long overdue welfare.
Comrade Eludire said the union resulted to picketing after various internal mechanisms explored to drive home their demands failed to yield positive results.
“We cannot continue to fold our arms because the purpose of the Union is to safeguard and to protect the interest of members,
Our members are groaning, they are in pains and we have tried all our efforts to ameliorate the pains in conjunction with the management in person of the Lordship, Hon. Justice Adepele Ojo but all our efforts, all our plea yielded no result and we are left with no other option than to picket her office and to air our voices so that the general public will know what we are passing through.,” Temidire said.
According to the JUSUN chairman, the union was protesting against the unlawful suspension of some of their members, as well as to demand other sundry benefits for the members of Staff.
Comrade Eludire stated “According to the rules for any officer to be sanctioned for any misconduct, such an officer must be duly investigated and interrogated by the Judicial service commission but in this case it was a unilateral decision of the hon. Judge which is against the rules. These people have been under suspension for 3 years without pay. We want them reinstated no matter what.
“Another thing is about our own entitlements, for example, the issue of wardrobe allowance. These have been taken care in our budget in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but I must tell you we have not received any penny.”
