File photograph of previous NLC and TUC strike in the country, which traditionally cripples economic activities
Having not made positive headway with previous meetings aimed at preventing the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) from going ahead with the planned strike from tomorrow Monday September 28, 2020, the Federal Government will today (Sunday September 27, 2020) meet with the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC). The sole agenda of the meeting is to avert the industrial action billed to commence from Monday.
The government said the dialogue, which was earlier scheduled for tomorrow will now hold at the Presidential Villa Banquet Hall by 7:00pm. The spokesman, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan, confirmed the development.
The two meetings earlier held by the government and the labour unions over the increase in the electricity tariffs and fuel pump price ended in a deadlock, with NLC and TUC insisting on the reversal of the price hikes. To prevent the strike and protest declared by labour, a non-governmental group and the FG had secured two court injunctions restraining the labour unions from proceeding with the action.
While the Peace and Unity Ambassadors Association secured an injunction against the strike on Thursday, the acting Director of the Department Civil Litigation of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Maimuna Shiru, and Mr Tijjani Gazali, led the government’s team who moved an ex-parte application praying the court to stop the strike, on Friday.
Justice Ibrahim Galadima of the National Industrial Court (NIC) in Abuja, issued the restraining orders against the unions. But the NLC and TUC had continued with the mobilisation of workers for the strike, saying they have not been served the court orders. On Saturday, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) also met with the unions in a last-ditch effort to stave off the strike but, did not succeed as well.
