Sylvester Enoghase and Paschal Njoku
Lagos / Abuja – The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja has stopped the organised labour from proceeding on the planned nationwide strike which is scheduled to commence on November 6.
On the contrary, the Organised Labour has insisted on embarking on a nationwide strike as Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said that NLC and other affiliated unions were not aware of any court ruling and have not been served any notice.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government and the organised labour have been at loggerhead over the minimum wage for civil servants in the country.
In a bid to halt the proposed industrial action, the Federal Government on Friday moved a motion ex parte before Justice Kado Sanusi.
The ex-parte application was argued by the Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF), Dayo Apata, on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The NLC, TUC and the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Governors Forum were listed as the first to the third defendants respectively in the suit.
Delivering ruling, Justice Sanusi upheld the submission of Apata and consequently restrained the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TLC) from engaging in the proposed strike pending the determination of the substantive suit filed by the Federal Government.
More so, the court ordered the defendants not to take any untoward step or action capable of destroying the subject matter of the dispute.
Justice Sanusi said he granted the motion ex-parte application having considered the likely devastating effect of the strike on the nation, the economy and the people.
Meanwhile, the matter has been adjourned to November 8, for a hearing of the substantive suit.
However, speaking on the position of the union on the restraint order Waba said: “We have just concluded our joint organ meetings of the Central Working Committees of the Labour Centres of the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC) here in Lagos.
“The meeting is the final preparation for a full engagement with the government on the new National Minimum Wage and we have taken our decision to go on the strike.
“Our decision is to go ahead with the nationwide strike unless the government does the needful,” he said.
In the same vein, Mr Musa Lawal, TUC General Secretary, told newsmen the centre was not was aware of any court ruling concerning the planned strike by organised labour.
“We are not aware because we have not been served any court order; we have taken our decision and we are going to stand by that,” he added.
Comrade Wabba however urged Chairman of the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiating Committee, Ama Pepple, to submit the report of the already concluded N30,000 National Minimum wage negotiation report to President Muhammadu Buhari for transmission to the National Assembly for consideration and passage into law.
Wabba made disclosure at a media briefing organised by the joint Central Working Committee (CWC) of all organised labour unions in Nigeria, the NLC, Trade union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC), in Lagos.
He noted that the joint CWCs of organised labour in the country considered the recent mischief by government that N30,000 was not agreed by the Tripartite Committee on Minimum wage as an attempt to impeach the outcome of the concluded new national minimum negotiation.
“It was resolved after taking report of organised labour of what transpired at the tripartite minimum wage negotiating council committee that if government fails to respond and address the issues of making sure the report is signed and submitted to President Buhari, and him putting in motion processes that would transmit a bill to the National Assembly, enactment of a new national minimum wage, certainly, the National Industrial action will commence by November 6, 2018 by midnight,” he said.
He further stated that the joint CWCs stands firmly by the resolution of the national executive council to commence indefinite industrial actions from November 6, 2018 except government accepts and commences the process of perfecting the payment of N30, 000 as negotiated as new minimum wage before that date.
Wabba recalled that the minimum wage was due since 2016, but due to the fact that they were committed to a process of collective bargaining, workers and unions were patient.
He explained that the issue of minimum wage is at the heart of every worker, adding that they have suffered monumentally in terms of purchasing power from the value of N18, 000 to the value that they have now, “therefore the issue is very central.”
According to him, “We dialogued and also negotiated in line with convention 87 up to a process of taking us more than one year, and at the conclusion of the meeting when workers are expecting to benefit from the minimum wage that all these issues are coming up.
“The demand is very straightforward, we are open to dialogue, but dialogue must have an end. If we must have dialogue for one year and there is no end to that, certainly there is a deceit, and we are not ready for that, we will not actually participate for a process that will not have an end. This is where we are now and it is unambiguous that a worker who creates wealth needs to be taken care of.
“The minimum wage was due since 2016, but due to the fact that we are committed to a process of collective bargaining, workers and unions were patient. The issue of minimum wage is at the heart of every worker, they have suffered monumentally In terms of purchasing power from the value of N18, 000 to the value that we have now, therefore, this issue is very central.”
The post Labour Dares Govt, Insists On Strike Nov 6 appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Source: Daily Independent
We appreciate you for reading our post, but we think it will be better you like our facebook fanpage and also follow us on twitter below.