The National Industrial Court, NIC, has barred the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, from embarking on their strike scheduled to begin on Wednesday in protest of last week’s tripling of petrol prices.
The court, which sat in Abuja on Monday, asked the organisations, in an interim order, to retrain from embarking on the strike till the determination of a suit that was brought before it by the Federal Government on the matter.
The ruling was delivered by Justice O. Y. Anuwe. The NLC and TUC are cited as defendants/respondents in the suit marked: NICN/ABJ/158/2023.
The suit is fixed for hearing on June 19.
It was brought before the court by the Federal Ministry of Justice, with the Federal Government’s lawyer, Mrs. Maimuna Lami Shiru, moving the application and claiming that the planned strike by labour was capable of disrupting economic activities.
Prior to the order of the court, the NLC had accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, of not listening to advice as it insisted on Sunday that it was proceeding with the strike on Wednesday.
In an Arise Television interview on Sunday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said there was no going back on the strike as the NNPC went ahead to announce an increased price regime for petrol against labour’s position, at a prior meeting, that it should maintain the status quo, and not increase prices, to allow for discussions on the subsidy removal.
He stated that given NNPC failure to listen to advice, there was no way the strike would not proceed.
“We (NLC) have 36 state councils. We have 54 affiliate associations. The state councils and all our affiliates were at our meeting where we decided on the strike. They are mobilising members for the strike. The strike is going to go on, and there is no discordant voice about this. The strike will go on, on Wednesday,” he said.
The protest is for the unilateral removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
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