Court Orders Labour Union to Suspend Strike On New Minimum Wage

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has ordered the organized labour, comprising the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) not to embark on its planned indefinite strike scheduled to commence on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

Justice Sanusi Kado gave the order Friday in a ruling on an ex parte application moved on behalf of the Federal Government (FG) by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata.

Justice Kado in consenting to the application held that if the strike was allowed, it would lead to huge economic loss to both public and private institutions and could jeopardize the health of many Nigerians who would not be able to access health facilities during the period.

The organized labour had threatened to commence an indefinite strike action to press for the increase in the national minimum wage from the current N18,000.

The last meeting of the tripartite negotiation committee on the new National minimum wage had ended in deadlock after the Federal Government insisted that it could only afford to pay N25,000, while the Governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum had held on to N22,500 and the labour N30,000.

Apart from the NLC and the TUC, the NGF is also joined as a defendant in the suit.

Justice Kado adjourned the matter till Thursday, November 8, 2018 for the hearing of the motion on notice seeking the interlocutory injunction to stop the strike.

The judge also ordered that the court order and other papers be filed on all the defendants./ The Punch