Abia State Government has clarified the circumstances surrounding the ongoing strike by the State Chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), attributing the industrial action to a dispute over the payment of leave allowance, which it says may already be captured within the workers’ consolidated salaries.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN), made the clarification on Thursday while briefing journalists at Government House, Umuahia, alongside the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Mr Kingsley Nwokocha, the Senior Special Assistant on Labour Relations, Sir Comrade Godson Anucha, and the Accountant-General of the State, Deaconess Njum Onyemenam.
Barr. Uwanna explained that the Union had requested payment of leave allowance, prompting the Office of the Accountant-General to demand details of how the claims were computed and confirmation that such allowances had not previously been paid as part of their remuneration.
According to him, preliminary findings by the government indicate that judiciary workers operate a consolidated salary structure which already includes a component referred to as “leave bonus,” raising questions about the legitimacy of the fresh demand.
“So we asked the judiciary workers to provide us with evidence that there is no component of leave bonus in their salary.
“What we got on the 13th of March was a notice that the government should either pay them or they will proceed on industrial action by midnight on the 15th of March”, the Attorney General stated.
He maintained that the State Government does not have full visibility into the detailed payroll structure of judiciary workers, as the arm of government manages its own payroll, and therefore requires documentary evidence to validate the claims.
“So, at that point, the members of the executive of the Judiciary workers were then requested to provide evidence that their salary, because the State, the Office of the Accountant General, does not have information with regards to what the details of their salary is.
“Now, consolidated salary is called consolidated because everything is consolidated into one and paid in different installments.
“Sometimes we also look at what happens in other states. Federal government does not pay for leave allowance to JUSUN members in the nation. That is our finding.
“Just like federal government does not pay leave allowance to, for instance, medical doctor or health workers in the federal civil service because of the consolidated scheme.
“The State Government will pay within 48 hours it realises that there is no leave allowance or leave bonus as a component of their consolidated salary”, he stated.
Barr. Uwanna further addressed the issue of staff verification, disclosing that efforts to verify Judiciary workers had been frustrated by members of the union.
“As you may all recall, when His Excellency Dr Alex Otti was sworn in, he commenced a verification exercise for all civil servants.
“And in view of the fact that we understand that the judiciary is independent, the judiciary staff were not verified when every other staff was verified.
“We then engaged the judiciary for the purpose of getting a consultant that will conduct a verification exercise for the judiciary.
“Indeed, on the 15th, that same day that they went on strike, was the day that was finally slated for the commencement of the verification exercise.
“And one wonders, is this a coincidence, or was it a well-orchestrated scheme to continue to earn salaries by ghost workers and persons who have questionable credentials?”, the Commissioner for Justice queried.
He warned that the continued refusal to undergo verification has adversely affected Pensioners who retired from the judiciary, as their records remain unvalidated.
“JUSUN should allow the judiciary to verify its staff so that those pensioners can be paid. We have had a lot of engagement. Time will fail me to explain the process that we have gone through to ensure that there’s proper verification, so that they can come into a system.
“They’re not going to come into executive system. They are going to come into their own electronic platform.
“Please, I would implore them, once again, not to continue to suffer these Pensioners. We are all citizens of this State, and the pensioners are entitled to their payment.
“So let them call off the strike, so that this verification exercise can be done, and these pensioners can start earning what is due them”, he stated.
Also speaking, the Accountant-General of the state, Deaconess Njum Onyemenam, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to prompt payment of workers and pensioners and stressed the need for proper documentation from the Judiciary.
“The only question that we’re asking the judiciary staff today is to provide verifiable proof that they have earned leave allowances that were not paid over the period.
“For the judiciary, they need to provide documentation. They need to submit their documentation and go through the payment process to be able to get their lump sum.
“The Accountant General does not handle the payroll of the judiciary. Accountant General does not handle the payroll of the Judiciary, the Judiciary handles their payroll, and when they come up to make their demands, raise their payment vouchers, their payment vouchers go through the process of payment, that is the only time the Accountant General has the legal right to make that pay”, Onyemanam explained.
