Abia Government Issues Ultimatum to Striking Judiciary Workers

The Abia State government has given striking judiciary workers a 48-hour ultimatum to suspend their industrial action. Attorney General Ikechukwu Uwanna emphasized that the judiciary staff must provide credible evidence to support their claims regarding leave benefits and salary structures.

He noted that judiciary employees have already received leave benefits embedded in their consolidated salary structure. Uwanna, alongside Kingsley Nwokocha and Godson Anucha, challenged the union, JUSUN, to prove their claims regarding leave bonuses, which are not included in the current remuneration package.

The government accused JUSUN of initiating a strike without submitting necessary payroll records to justify their demands. Uwanna reiterated the request for documentation to verify leave claims, warning that failure to participate in the verification exercise could lead to irregularities, including the presence of ghost workers.

The government expressed concern for pensioners whose benefits are delayed due to the stalled verification process and urged the union to return to work to complete the exercise.