The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its rejection of the ruling by the National Industrial Court (NIC), which favored the Federal Government against the interests of the masses and workers in the country. NLC President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, made this announcement in a joint communique with Mr. Emmanuel Ugboaja, the General Secretary of the Congress, following an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.
The purpose of the NEC meeting was to discuss the outcome of the dialogue between the NLC and the Federal Government regarding the hike in petroleum product prices. It should be noted that on June 3, the NLC had called for a nationwide strike scheduled to begin on June 7 in response to the fuel price increase. However, the federal government obtained a court injunction to prevent the Congress from proceeding with the proposed strike.
In response, the NLC announced that the NEC had resolved to suspend the proposed strike action, supporting and accepting the decision of the leadership of the Congress to comply with the flawed rulings of the NIC. This decision was made to allow negotiations to continue and reach a final agreement during or after the June 19, 2023, negotiation round with the federal government.
However, the NLC expressed its strong dissatisfaction with the NIC’s ruling, condemning its continuous use of ex parte injunctions in favor of the government. The Congress believed that this practice was against the interests of Nigerian workers and disregarded the position of the Supreme Court regarding the use of such instruments.
The NLC directed all affiliates and state councils to suspend further action and mobilization until the outcome of the final negotiations. The Congress commended all affiliates and state councils for their active mobilization efforts toward a successful nationwide strike, urging them to remain vigilant in case there is a need to resume the action.
Note: This information is based on the provided context up to my knowledge cutoff in September 2021. For the latest updates, it is advisable to refer to current news sources.