After grounding FCT, states for 2 days, labour suspends strike

The organised labour last night suspended the indefinite strike it started on Tuesday over the assault on the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress Joe Ajaero in Imo State on November 1. The strike had crippled government and business activities at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and in most states. The labour leaders, at their […]

The organised labour last night suspended the indefinite strike it started on Tuesday over the assault on the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress Joe Ajaero in Imo State on November 1.

The strike had crippled government and business activities at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and in most states.

The labour leaders, at their extra-ordinary National Executive Council meeting resolved to suspend the strike following the intervention of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

“We’ve just finished extra-ordinary NEC meeting. We have considered all the appeals made to us by the NSA during our meeting in his office in the afternoon. We shall give him time to coordinate the investigations as promised,” the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employee (AUPCTRE), Sikiru Waheed, told reporters.

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He added, “Arising from the just-concluded joint NEC session of NLC and TUC to give consideration to the plea of Federal Government at a meeting held today (yesterday) at the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the meeting resolved that the ongoing national strike is hereby suspended.

“The labour movement appreciates you all for your commitments towards the success of the industrial action. You are hereby directed to resume your official functions from tomorrow Thursday 16th November, 2023. Thank you.”

The NSA had, earlier on Wednesday, apologized for the attack on Ajaero and urged the labour to rescind its decisions.

The Senate and House of Representatives, during their respective plenaries, had also raised motions condemning the attack on the NLC president while pleading with labour to call off the strike action. 

Ribadu said the attackers of Ajaero had been arrested and investigations commenced.

The NSA’s plea was contained in a statement signed by the Head of Strategic Communications in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa.

He noted that the attack on the NLC president was against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression subscribed to by President Tinubu and his administration.

“The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is concerned by the declaration of a nationwide strike by the leadership of the Organised Labour led by the NLC and TUC. 

“The NSA is particularly worried about the implications of the strike action on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians and its potential impact on economic security and other strategic national interests. 

“As attested by the NLC leadership, the NSA immediately intervened on learning about the travails of Comrade Ajero who was assaulted in Owerri, Imo State. 

“The NSA regrets the incident and condemns it in its entirety as it was against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression subscribed to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration. The Federal Government will never condone such an act. 

“As a fallout of the incident relevant authorities were directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault and bring to book the culprits.

“Available update indicates that some arrests have already been made in this regard. The outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded. 

After a closed-door meeting between the NSA, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong and the aggrieved labour leaders in Abuja yesterday, the president of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo, had told reporters that said the conversation with the government officials would be taken to the labour’s organs.

“We just came here for a meeting. The NSA invited us for a meeting, and as you can see, two ministers from the ministry of labour and employment also participated.

“We had a lot of robust conversations where a lot of assurances were given in furtherance to the release that was issued this morning by the NSA, that some people had been apprehended, and that he would coordinate the investigation.

“We also told him our part of the story. At the end of the day, they made several appeals to us and several promises on what and what they are going to do and the ones they have done currently.

“We then said, let’s go back, we will re-appraise the conversations that we’ve had and communicate accordingly. The strike was caused by something. The strike is a symptom of problems, so, it is the problems we came here for, to have conversations on.

“With all the assurances they have given us, with the office of the NSA, promising to coordinate everything, every discussion we’ve had here, we need to take it back to our organs,” Osifo told journalists at the end of the meeting.

Senate, reps wade in

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday asked its leadership to immediately summon an emergency meeting with the labour leaders to address the issue. 

The resolutions followed a motion by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi) during Wednesday’s plenary. 

This is even as the House of Representatives resolved to liase with the leadership of the Senate to engage the NLC to end the ongoing strike.

In the motion by Ningi, which was presented by Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, the Bauchi lawmaker condemned the attack on Ajaero, describing it as unfortunate. 

He said the NLC president had the constitutional rights as a Nigerian and Imo citizen to be involved in the electioneering in the state, and that it was wrong to brutalise him for participating in the process.

He said, “The Senate is aware that the strike which has commenced since November 14 is not unconnected with the alleged assault on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress during the electioneering campaign that took place in Imo State. 

“The Senate worries that most of the demands of the NLC are not targeted towards just the welfare of the Nigerian workers but essentially targeted most essentially at issues arising from the alleged political involvement of the President of the NLC, who also is an indigene have a right to a part of the campaign process in Imo State.”

On its part, the House of Representatives resolved to liaise with the leadership of the Senate to engage the NLC to end the ongoing strike.

The decision followed a resolution on a motion on matters of urgent public importance moved by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and contributions from members in a lengthy debate that lasted for almost an hour.

Presenting the motion, Kalu said the strike was troubling Nigerians and adding to their hardship, hence the need for the National Assembly to act.

In their contributions, Babajimi Benson and Bamidele Salam called for Ajaero’s prosecution over his refusal to obey the subsisting court order stopping the NLC from going on a strike.

Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, who also criticised the labour for going on strike, said the National Assembly should mediate so that Nigerians should have a respite.

The House Chief Whip, Usman Bello Kumo, emphasised the need for the intervention so that, Nigerians would be rescued from further suffering.

According to him, only a negligible percentage out of the over 200 million Nigerians are salary earners and part of the Labour movement, as such, the majority of Nigerians should not be allowed to be suffering under strike actions that would have been prevented.