Court Upholds Order Against Planned NLC, TUC Strike

The National Industrial Court, on Monday, reaffirmed its decision to prohibit the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) from initiating their planned industrial strike.

Justice Olufunke Anuwe confirmed that the order, issued on June 5, remains in place until further examination and resolution of the motion on notice.

The court directed all parties to preserve the current status quo and adjourned the case until July 20 for further hearings.

When the case was called earlier, the Federal Government’s counsel, Ochum Emmanuel, noted the claimant’s readiness to proceed with its motion for an interim injunction to halt the proposed strike.

In response, the defence counsel, Marshall Abubakar, stated that they had submitted a request for the court to repeal its June 5 order prohibiting the defendants from striking.

In his argument, Abubakar noted that the claimant only served them a counter-affidavit in court on Monday after they had submitted their application on June 8.

The court granted a brief adjournment as requested by Abubakar to allow the defence to examine the counter-affidavit and prepare a response.

The federal government’s counsel opposed the adjournment request but was overruled by the court’s decision.

The defendants, NLC and TUC, had previously planned a nationwide strike on June 7 in protest against the removal of the fuel subsidy, which led to an increase in the pump price for the Premium Motor Spirit.

The federal government initiated the lawsuit to prevent the strike, citing potential severe impacts on society and the national economy, specifically targeting the health and educational sectors.