…Threatens nationwide strike August 14
The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), says it will embark on a nationwide strike from August 14, if the contemptuous court summons is not withdrawn by the Federal Ministry of Justice.
On Thursday, NLC president, Joe Ajaero said this in a communique issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, jointly signed with the General Secretary of NLC, Emmanuel Ugboaja.
Recall that Organised Labour had protested nationwide against President Bola Tinubu’s government’s anti-poor policies, especially the subsidy removal that had brought untold hardship to Nigerians.
The justice ministry had, through the National Industrial Court, issued the leadership of Organised Labour summons on contempt of court for protesting.
Ajaero said that NEC observed the justice ministry through the court and had continued to allow itself to be used as a vehicle to truncate the dominance of the tenets of democracy and silence the voices of Nigerian workers.
The NLC president also said the union was committed to maintaining the required vigilance to hold the government accountable for its assurances and governance in general.
Ajaero added that the union’s NEC was committed to the terminal date of August 19, within which the issues around the petrol price hike will be agreed given the assurances of the president and the National Assembly.
Through the justice ministry, the federal government had sternly warned in a statement on 26 July that the planned strike by the union would be a contempt of court, an offence punishable by imprisonment.
The ministry restated, on Monday, that the order issued by the National Industrial Court in Abuja on 5 June had stopped not just strikes but any form of industrial action organised to oppose the removal of fuel subsidy.
