Judiciary Staff Union Strike Disrupts Election Tribunal Sitting in Cross River

A strike action embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union, (JUSUN) in Cross River State has disrupted the sitting of the State Elections Petition Tribunal in Calabar.

The sitting was scheduled to begin on Wednesday for the National and State House of Assembly petitions at the state High Court Complex, but the proceedings were put to an hold following the industrial action by the union.

Officials of the Tribunal including the Secretary of the Panel, Akawu Bambur, were prevented from gaining access into the venue by the striking workers who barricaded the gates leading into the High Court complex.

Bambur who spoke to journalists on the situation said the Tribunal members had pleaded with the striking JUSUN members to allow the panel sit but that the appeal fell on deaf ears.

”We had discussed with the judiciary workers that they should allow us to sit, they agreed, but surprisingly today, we can’t gain entrance into the venue,” Bambur said.

“We will communicate a new date because for today we cannot sit, you can see that everywhere is locked,” he added.

The strike action came on the heels of a notice issued by the state JUSUN chapter Chairman, Com. Enya Ertoti, mandating its members to remain at home from Tuseday, May 2, over some demands that were not met by the state government.

According to the Union, some of the demands included the implementation of the Constitutional provision of the financial autonomy of the judiciary, the payment of a 66 per cent balance of its consolidated judiciary salary structure, amongst others.