The Abia State Government has urged the state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria to suspend its ongoing strike and provide evidence of non-payment of leave bonus in its consolidated salary, assuring that the state would pay within 48 hours once the claims are verified.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, (SAN), gave the clarification on Thursday in Umuahia while briefing journalists on the JUSUN strike, alongside the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Kingsley Nwokocha, the Senior Special Assistant on Labour Relations, Godson Anucha, and the Accountant General of the state.
Uwanna recalled that the executive members of JUSUN had requested payment of leave allowance, prompting the Office of the Accountant General to demand details of how the figures were arrived at, as well as confirmation that the workers had not previously received leave bonuses. He said the union had yet to provide the required details.
He explained that upon receiving the request, the government discovered through the Accountant General’s office that the consolidated salary of judiciary workers already includes a component referred to as leave bonus, which, according to him, is the same as the leave allowance being demanded.
