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Barely 24 hours after calling off its nationwide strike, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to embark on another industrial action if the Federal Government fails to withdraw its lawsuit against labour leaders.
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.
Recall that on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, the FG filed a contempt lawsuit against the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart for protesting against fuel subsidy removal.
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 that is 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 protest paralysed economic activities across the country as banks, markets, courts and businesses were shut down in many cities.
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.”
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, the 11th of August, 2023; To embark on a nationwide comprehensive strike beginning Monday 14th of August, 2023 if this contemptuous court summons is not withdrawn by whosoever initiated it.”
Meanwhile, Femi Falana, the counsel to the organised labour has called on the President to call Jedy-Agba to order over the contempt charges filed against labour leaders.
In his interview with ThePunch, Falana argued that the union leaders did not breach any agreement they had with the President on the suspension of the nationwide protests.