TheCable

Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, has expressed optimism that the ongoing strike by the  Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and  Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) will soon be called off.

In a statement signed by Charles Akpan, spokesperson of the ministry, Ngige said the federal government is confident that the conciliation meeting, which will begin on Thursday, will yield fruitful results.

“The federal government is hopeful that the unions would call off their strike for peace to industrial reign in the states,” the minister said.

“We held consummate consultations with stakeholders alongside the secretary of the presidential implementation committee on autonomy of the judiciary and state legislature, senator Eta Enang.

“We have deepened the discussion with a meeting with the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the president of the court of appeal and other judges who are heads of courts.

“That is the president of the federal high court, president of the national industrial court of Nigeria and we looked at the positions canvassed by each of the components -judiciary, legislature and the governors’ forum.

“At the moment, we have distilled on a holistic basis, what this ministry regards as a conciliatory cocktail position – a mix of ideas from all sides, of constitutional positions and even part of Presidential Executive Order No.10.

“We have come out with a position and given same to all sides, including the body of chief judges of states through their representatives, the chief judge of Bayelsa as proposals to study and come back.

“It contains the positions which each group proposed and which in our joint committee, in our wisdom, we felt was necessary to make for the independence- fund wise of the state judiciary and legislature without breaching the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.

“We have done something that will make the state legislature, judiciary and even the NJC operate optimally.

“So that they will open our courts and the state assemblies, so that even the state laws contained in the MOU will be enacted as soon as possible, within the 48 days execution period allowed the states to formalise it.”

JUSUN had, on April 6, embarked on a nationwide strike in protest of the non-implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary.

There is also an ongoing strike by parliamentary workers who are seeking financial autonomy for state legislatures.