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‘Your Planned Strike is iIlegal’ -FG tackles Labour
The Federal Government has informed the Nigeria Labour Congress that it is constitutionally prohibited from going on the planned statewide strike in protest of the country’s high cost of living and the increase in the price of petrol.
The NLC reportedly gave the government a seven-day deadline to change all of its alleged anti-poor and insensitive policies, or face a widespread strike, on Wednesday The Meridian Spy reports.
However, in response to the threat, the Ministry of Justice’s Permanent Secretary, B.E. Jedy-Agba, stated in a statement on Wednesday that the union was prohibited from going on strike over the elimination of the petrol subsidy by the ruling of the national industrial court.
However, reacting to the ultimatum, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, B.E Jedy-Agba, in a statement on Wednesday, said the union was restrained by the order of the national industrial court from embarking on any strike regarding the removal of petrol subsidy.
She said the court had on June 5 granted an injunctive order restraining the NLC and Trade Union Congress “from embarking on the planned industrial action/or strike of any nature, pending the hearing and determination of the pending motion on notice”.
Jedy-Agba advised the union to explore other means of negotiations with the Federal Government rather than “resorting to self-help and undermining the orders of the court”.
The statement added, “It is noted that the issues (removal of fuel subsidy, hike in prices of petrol and consequential increase in the cost of living, etc) which precipitated the above court action are the very same issues over which NLC has now issued another strike notice”
“The NLC has submitted to the jurisdiction of the court and is being represented by the reputable law firm of Femi Falana, SAN. It is therefore our minimum expectation that the NLC will allow the courts to perform their constitutional roles rather than resorting to self-help and undermining the orders of the court.