We Are Not Part Of Nationwide Strike – CONUA

The Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) has announced that its members are not part of the ongoing nationwide strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

According to a statement signed by its National President, Niyi Sunmonu on Tuesday, CONUA stated that it is not part of the strike as they were not consulted by the organising bodies of NLC and TUC.

The statement read, “As at the moment of putting together this release, the TUC with whom CONUA submitted affiliation request has not communicated this position on strike action to it.

“Distinguished comrades should therefore note that CONUA cannot be part of the strike action that is not communicated to it. In addition, the affiliation process with the TUC has not been officially established.”

The labour unions on Monday ordered their affiliates to withdraw their services nationwide from midnight on November 14, 2023.

We’re Not Politicians That People Will Challenge To Go Court’ – NLC Speaks On Court Injunction Barring Its Nationwide Action

Meanwhile, the NLC has responded to those asking it to obey the order restraining it from proceeding with its industrial action.

Speaking with Arise News on Tuesday, NLC’s General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, argued that the union members are not politicians who will be asked to go to court.

“We are not politicians that people will challenge go to court, go to court; it is not about going to court, we should have a culture of social dialogue. and what the ILO, the oldest agency of the United Nations, has deepened after the Second World War is to get people to discuss, is to get people to have conversations, not to be beaten up, not to be dehumanized, not to be threatened to go to court, go to court, no,” he said.

“The attitude is to have people have conversations around the table, and that is what we have been seeking with the government, a round table discussion, a dialouge as social partners and not bully, what we are having now is a return to the SARS situation where people go about hooded brutalizing citizens and then you are told to go seek redress in court, that is not what our cause are meant for,” he added.

Naija News reports that his comment comes just as the President Bola Tinubu led government continues to fault the labour union for going ahead with its industrial action despite the directive of the Industrial Court against it’s demonstration.