The Organised Labour has clarified that it did not receive any court order stopping the ongoing nationwide strike that began on Tuesday.
It also accused the government of repeatedly flouting court orders, all the while, demanding strict adherence to judicial rulings from other institutions.
“Yes, we don’t have a service on the court order but we have a government today who perpetually does not obey court orders. When DSS was holding Emefiele, how many court orders were passed for Emefiele to be released? Countless number of them,” TUC President Festus Osifo, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, said on Wednesday.
The labour leader has announced that once the unions receive a court order regarding the ongoing strike, they will consult with their legal team and make a decision accordingly.
“We have a state that refuses to obey court orders. You now expect others to obey court orders but once we see it, we are responsible institutions, we will not say because the Federal Government continuously violate court institution, we will examine it and if it is the right thing for us to do, yes, we will,” he said.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the TUC on Monday ordered their affiliates to withdraw their services nationwide from midnight on November 14, 2023.
The PUNCH reports that the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Minister of Justice filed an ex-parte application praying the court to stop the unions from embarking on the planned strike.
In his ruling, the President of the Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, cited Sections 17 and 19 of the National Industrial Court Act and ordered the unions to stop their nationwide strike.
Unions across the country initiated a nationwide strike on Tuesday, in a bid to demand justice following an assault on Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, which took place in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, on November 1, 2023.
Workers in several states joined the strike, shutting down activities at several government-owned facilities.
Partial compliance was observed in certain states as the industrial action unfolded, with a number of workers choosing to carry on with their regular duties.(Punch)
