Despite an order of the National Industrial Court restraining
the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress from going ahead with
their planned strike to protest the hike in price of petrol, the strike will go
ahead as planned on Wednesday, labour officials have said.
The General Secretary of the NLC, Peter
Ozo-Eson, on Tuesday night told PREMIUM TIMES that from all indications the
strike would go on as planned.
On the meeting with the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, earlier convened to attempt to
broker a last minute truce on the matter, Mr. Ozo-Eson said the meeting was yet
to hold at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
“There was no resolution yet. We are just
going for the meeting now. ,” the NLC scribe said on telephone interview. “We
have been meeting on our own on matters that are important to us. It is clear
the strike will go ahead as planned,” Mr. Ozo-Eson told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone
on his way to the venue of the meeting.
He however assured that an official statement
would be issued on the final position after what promises to be an all-night
meeting.
The General Executive Secretary of Medical and
Health Workers Union, north central, Richard Gbamwuan, in an interview with
this newspaper, shortly after an emergency NEC meeting of the NLC held in Abuja
on Tuesday, said that they were going ahead with the proposed strike.
“We have resolved to go ahead with the protest
nationwide, as far as we are concerned, we are yet to be aware of any court
injunction,” he said.
“And if there is any court injunction, we are
just doing what federal government is fond of doing. The same Industrial court
had stopped federal government from increasing electric tariff but till date
federal government ignored us, they still went ahead, so we are embarking on
the protest.”
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami,
had earlier on Tuesday approached the Industrial Court on behalf of federal
government to stop the proposed strike by the organized labour.
Meanwhile, various union leaders in Plateau
State said they were ready to comply fully with the directive of the Nigeria
Labour Congress NLC to embark on a nationwide protest on Nigeria.
The union leaders spoke to PREMIUM TIMES in
Jos, Plateau state, on Tuesday, barely 24 hours to the deadline issued to the
government to reverse the pump price of petrol to N86.50 by midnight, Tuesday.
The state director, Civil Society
Organizations, Steve Aluko, on behalf of NLC, TUC and CSO, in an interview,
said they were ready for a showdown with the government, until the new pump
price of N145 per litre was reversed to 86.50 Naira.
Mr. Aluko said allied unions had been briefed
and directed to mobilise for the protest en masse.
“NECs of the NLC, TUC and CSO’s met, and
harmonized the positions, that a complete reversal of prices PMS, high
electricity tariff and commencement of a structured inclusive
multi-stakeholders dialogue process; by 12am on Tuesday, all members are to
commence a general strike and Mass Action on Wednesday.”
The chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists,
Plateau State, Yakubu Taddy, said members of the union were ready to
participate in the protest, but urged that it should be peaceful.
SOURCE: Premium Times
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