Judiciary Workers' Strike Looms After Deadlock in Talks

Nigeria's judicial workers will commence an indefinite national strike on Monday, June 2, 2025, following failed negotiations to avert the industrial action. A four-hour meeting between the stakeholders responsible for dealing with the matter, including a security institution, ended without any solution and with the union standing by its strike undertaking.

The strike is in response to long-standing demands of the judicial staff, which are predominantly welfare demands. The demands are non-payment of five months' arrears of a wage award, non-implementation of a N70,000 national minimum wage, and non-implementation of a 25/35 percent adjustment in salary.

As drastic as a national chapter of the union ordered all employees of the federal courts to withdraw their services, some of the top judicial bodies, including the Supreme Court and National Judicial Council (NJC), have refused the strike that was offered. These organizations reference continued attempts by the Chief Justice of Nigeria to settle outstanding debt and have accorded a grace period of two weeks for government to meet the demands. But the union's Federal High Court chapter has continued to demand that they go ahead with the strike.

The mass strike, if it is fully executed, will greatly affect judicial proceedings across the country, leading to major disruption to court activities and the administration of justice.