Withdraw your lawsuit against us, NLC threatens FG.

While addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, August 3, 2023, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, asked the government to withdraw the contempt charge against labour unions by Friday, August 11, 2023.

The Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, had recently urged the NLC and the TUC to withdraw the seven-day notice they issued on their plan to commence a nationwide industrial action from August 2.

Jedy-Agba, in a statement in July, warned that the planned strike would amount to contempt of court, an offence punishable by imprisonment.

But despite the court injunction against the planned action, the organised labour went ahead with the strike, alleging that the government delayed its promise to roll out palliatives to cushion the pains of subsidy removal.

The action of the unions prompted the government to initiate a contempt of court proceeding accusing the labour leaders of disobeying a court order.

Angered by this development, the NLC, in a statement on Thursday, said the Ministry of Justice and National Industrial Court have continued to “allow themselves to be used as agents of anti-democracy.”

FG counters Falana, saying the August 2nd planned industrial action is illegal.

NLC faults President Tinubu over speech on palliatives.

The union said even though it agreed to suspend its protests following its meeting with President Bola Tinubu, it would embark on another nationwide strike starting from August 14, 2023, if the government fails to withdraw the lawsuit filed against its leaders.

In the statement, the NLC said it has resolved “To go on total strike across the country any day labour leaders are summoned to court by the government through the NICN 5; To demand the immediate withdrawal of this litigious terrorism by the Federal Ministry of Justice before the end of work Friday, August 11, 2023; To embark on a nationwide comprehensive strike beginning Monday, August 14, 2023, if this contemptuous court summons is not withdrawn by whosoever initiated it.”

Meanwhile, Femi Falana, the counsel to the organised labour, has called the President to call Jedy-Agba to order over the contempt charges filed against labour leaders.

Falana argued that the union leaders did not breach any agreement with the President on suspending the nationwide protests.