Why we suspended strike — TUC President reveals

…as NLC threatens fresh strike action for August 14 over lawsuit filed by FG

The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Festus Osifo in an interview yesterday explained that the Labour Union called off the nationwide protest as it has decided to give the government the benefit of a doubt.

Earlier, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) issued a nationwide strike notice to seek the reversal of fuel pump price hike and other policies by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government. The nationwide strike commenced on Wednesday and was suspended yesterday morning.

Speaking on the live broadcast, Osifo said, “Just as I said earlier, we had a meeting with the President and even before then, there was some level of intervention from the National Assembly with an appeal and also a promise that within the next one week that a lot of things will also be put in place with some positive outcomes.

“We had that conversation earlier before we now had a meeting with President Tinubu and from what I have said, the President has committed to saying that okay, we should work with their team and propose something that could be for the wage award and that is he is ready to to offer it almost immediately.

“And from some of the disclosures we also got from the Port Harcourt refinery and the announcement that will also come on Friday associated with the CNG.

“So we now came back to our Secretariat, and we had some sort of conversations across that and we said, okay, let us give them some benefits of doubt.

“Because they kept repeating that ‘we are a new government, we promise and when we promise, we must act’.

“So a communication was released a while ago to our members, calling off the protest and for us to give them some benefits of doubt.”

Osifo also spoke about what line of action the Labour Union would take if in the next seven days, as the government has promised, they don’t get to hear a positive feedback.

“As unions, we don’t just sit down and define this line of actions because we have organs, so this information that the President has given us, we are going to call out our meetings and we will also do the reviews.

“Then after after those reviews, we will wait and watch, when nothing is being done, trust that the two label centres will also meet to take a stand and to also push the government to act.”

Osifo said for this cause, the Labour Union identifies with Nigerians, the working people and they must get government to equally work for the citizens because that is the true essence why government exists.

In a related development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to embark on another nationwide strike on August 14, 2023, should the Federal Ministry of Justice fail to withdraw the lawsuit filed against the organised labour.

The NLC made the decision during its National Executive Council meeting which was held in Abuja.

According to a statement signed by the national president, Joe Ajaero, the Ministry of Justice and National Industrial Court have continued to allow themselves to be used as agents of “anti-democracy.”

Ajaero noted that though it agreed to suspend protests based on its meeting with the President, it will embark on a nationwide strike starting from August 14, 2023, should the government fail to withdraw the lawsuit filed against it.

Highlighting the decisions of the NEC, Ajaero said the NEC resolved “to support and affirm the decision to suspend further protest on the nationwide mass protest; to commit to maintaining the required vigilance needed to hold government accountable on its assurances and governance in general; To commit to the terminal date of August 19, 2023, within which the issues around the Petroleum price hike will be agreed given the assurances of the President and the National Assembly.

“To go on total strike across the country any day labour leaders are summoned to court by the government through the NICN. 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.”