By Akinwale Kasali
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Congress Union, TUC, have been restrained by the National Industrial Court from embarking on its planned nationwide strike.
The Court stressed further that affiliate Groups of the NLC and the TUC are also restrained from embarking on Strike, following plans for a Nationwide strike after the Unions had an extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on Tuesday in Abuja. The Organized Labour declared a total nationwide strike scheduled to commence on November 14, 2023.
President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, cited Sections 17 and 19 of the National Industrial Court Act and ordered the Unions to stop their nationwide strike.
“It is within the power of the Court to intervene by way of restraining order to ensure peace and tranquillity, ” he said.
The decision of the Unions to embark on this strike is as a result of the assault on the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, In Owerri, Imo State. But the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice filed an ex-parte application praying the court to stop the Unions from embarking on the planned strike.
In the application, the FG told the Court that the planned strike would inflict untold hardship on law-abiding citizens and their businesses.
Counsel for the Federal Government and the AGF, Tijani Gazali, SAN, during the proceedings on Friday argued that many Nigerians suffered when the labour unions during their protest on Thursday blocked the entrances to the main airports in the country.
He pleaded with the Court that unless the planned strike action is stopped, there may be a likelihood of a breach of peace and tranquillity in the country.
Justice Kanyip directed that the restraining order be pasted on the wall of the Labour House, which is the last known address of the two defendants, to draw their attention to the Court ’s position.
The Judge also directed that the order, along with the originating and other processes, be served on the defendants by publication in two major national dailies.
