The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations will today Tuesday, May 24, meet with the Judicial Council to get the striking members of the judicial Service staff Association (JUSSAG) back to work.
Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Haruna Iddrisu said he’s optimistic the meeting will afford both parties to reach a middle ground to enable workers get back to post.
On May 19 the National Executive Council of JUSAG directed members to withdraw their services with effect from Friday, May 20, until the Government implemented the Judicial Council’s approved consolidated salaries.
JUSAG said the Government had not fulfilled its assurances after it had appealed to JUSAG on April 1, this year, to call off the nation-wide strike.
But the Minister said the delay comes as a result of the efforts by government to currently correct some anomalies associated with such implementation.
“We are not rejecting what has been approved by the Judicial Council” he noted, adding, it’s because the President needed to be advised on the matter.
“Whatever the Judicial Council is approving must have the prior approval of the President as required in the constitution. What is in dispute now is that government is correcting some anomalies associated with the lower court bench therefore you cannot be doing an adjustment of their salaries and allowances based on the lower courts bench when they themselves, their approval is yet to be granted by the president.
“I trust that when we sit at table on Tuesday, we should be able to dialogue further. We will not negotiate them out of the single spine pay policy of government. I’m hopeful that by close of Wednesday we should have been able to build some consensus,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Council held a meeting on Monday and urged its members to rescind their decision and return to work while they continue negotiations.
