Leave Bonus Controversy: We’ll Pay You Within 48 Hours if You Provide Evidence of non-payment, Abia Govt. Tells JUSUN

Abia State government has attributed the lingering industrial action by the state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to the union’s refusal to provide evidence that their consolidated salary does not contain Leave Bonus component.

Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN) who disclosed this while clarifying issues surrounding the ongoing JUSUN strike in the state, however, assured that government would pay the judiciary workers within 48 hours if the union provides the evidence that Leave Bonus was not included in their consolidated salary.

Abia JUSUN, on March 15, embarked on an indefinite strike, citing non-payment of their Leave Bonus and their pensioners. Since then all courts in Abia have remained closed.

Addressing newsmen in Umuahia Thursday, Uwanna recalled that the executive members of JUSUN had requested government to pay judiciary staff their leave allowance.

Following the request, the Commissioner said the office of the Accountant-General demanded that JUSUN provide details and how they arrived at the leave allowance, and for them to confirm that they have not earned leave bonuses before now, which they have failed to provide till date.

He explained that the government upon receiving the request discovered through the Office of the Accountant-General that part of the components of the consolidated salary being paid to judiciary workers has what is called Leave Bonus, which is also the same thing as the Leave Allowance the union is demanding.

“So, at that point, the members of the executive of the Judiciary workers were then requested to provide evidence t that there is no component of leave bonus in their salary because the Office of the Accountant-General does not have information with regards to what the details of their salary are.

“Now, consolidated salary is called consolidated because everything is consolidated into one and paid in different installments,” Uwanna said.

But he said that rather than provide the evidence, the union went on strike.

“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,” he said.

He assured that once the union makes available the document and government confirms it to be true, the Judiciary workers would be paid within 48 hours.

“The state government will pay within 48 hours it realizes that there is no leave allowance or leave bonus as a component of their consolidated salary,” Uwanna assured.

Addressing the issue of non-payment of JUSUN pensioners, the Commissioner blamed it on their failure to present themselves for verification, adding that Judiciary staff in the state were yet to be verified.

The Attorney General disclosed that efforts to get the Judiciary staff to present themselves for verification were allegedly being continuously frustrated by JUSUN, adding that their non-verification accounts for non-payment of retired judiciary staff.

He said that because the judiciary is independent, the judiciary staff were not verified when every other staff was verified at the inception of the Governor Alex Otti administration.

“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?

“JUSUN is aware that His Excellency is one who is always ready and able to pay workers their entitlements, and he has made that clear by paying every other civil servant,” Barr. Uwanna said.

He called on the union leaders to call off the strike to enable the retired judiciary staff  to be verified and to begin to receive their pension.

“JUSUN should allow the judiciary to verify its staff so that those pensioners can be paid,” he appealed.

Contributing, the Accountant General of Abia state, Deaconess Njum Onyemanam, reassured the commitment of Abia state government to making payments of staff and pensioners on or before the 28th of every month and emphasised the need for the Judiciary to submit its documents to enable its staff get their funds accordingly.

“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,” Mrs Onyemanam said.

Commissioner for Information Prince Okey Kanu, his Labour & Productivity counterpart Mr Kingsley Nwokocha and the Senior Special Assistant on Labour Relations, Sir Comrade Godson Ańucha were present at the briefing.