Tinubu pleads for more time as NLC issues strike notice

On Wednesday in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu pleaded with organized labor to give him more time to evaluate their complaints before organizing a statewide strike.

Just then, a sign suggested that, should the Nigeria Labour Congress follow through on its threat on August 2, the Federal Government might execute the court order prohibiting organized labor from going on strike in protest of the removal of gasoline subsidies in May.

After leading a few House officers to brief the President on the outcome of their negotiations with the National Association of Resident Doctors, which has called for a nationwide strike, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas revealed Tinubu’s request to State House Correspondents.

Following a warning from organized labor, the Federal Government conducted an emergency meeting with this group on Wednesday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. This group included the National Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress.

But briefing reporters, Abbas said Tinubu appealed that being new in office, he needs time to evaluate the issues raised by workers over which he is yet to be briefed.

Abbas said, “What he (Tinubu) said is that he’s just coming on board. We should ask them and beg them to please give him a little more time.

“The things that they mentioned, he is completely unaware of them, he is yet to be briefed about all those issues.

“But from what he heard from me, he also advised that we should channel some of those issues to the Chief of Staff to look at them one after the other. I believe the next coming days, some concerted actions will be taken.”

The Speaker explained that the House leadership invited NARD following their intention to go on strike, saying that the lawmakers succeeded in persuading the union to shelve the plan.

“Sequel to the meeting we had with them, there were series of conditions that they gave, that we felt we need to share with the President,” he revealed.

Asked what the House was doing to restrain the Nigeria Labour Congress from proceeding with the August 2 protests, Abbas said, “In the same manner, the same way, we will also invite them to come and sit so that we hear their grievances and then we follow the same pattern of engaging and persuading them to give us a little time so that we can be able to meet their expectations.”

Meanwhile, the House leadership’s meeting with the President was held as leaders of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria met with the Presidential Steering Committee on Palliatives set up by the Federal Government.
The discussion did not, however, persuade the labor leaders to abandon their plan, and they persisted on carrying out the protest planned for August 2.

Labor delegations led by Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, and Festus Osifo, the president of the TUC, were present at the meeting on Wednesday, which was held at the chief of staff’s office of the president.

It was in continuation of the June 19 meeting over the initial increase of the petrol pump price to N520 per litre.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Ajaero said, “We are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, to say we are commencing protests from August 2.”

On his part, the TUC President, Osifo, said both sides listened to the presentations from the Steering Committee secretariat and labour made its input afterwards.

He said, “Some of the things they presented, we did not agree with them. So, the areas we did not agree on, we also made our inputs known because when you come to such a meeting, it is for the government or its representatives to do a presentation.

“But it’s left for us to either agree or disagree. So, during the meeting, we gave them sufficient feedback. And they also agreed to go and look at those feedbacks and get back to us on Friday.”

However, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, said the discussions achieved some progress in negotiations.

She explained: “We’ve agreed to continue to make progress. It was a very productive meeting.

“The focus was really around how we fast track a lot of the interventions that will bring relief, particularly around CNG, mass transportation, cleaner energy, transportation and reduce the impact of the cost of transportation.”

On why the rollout of palliatives is being delayed, she said, “We have to get it right. We must do this well, and we keep our promises. So, it’s important that whatever is announced gets done.”

Verheijen said the President was working assiduously to address the issues “as quickly as he can.”
Court order

If the NLC follows through on its threat on August 2, the Federal Government may execute the court ruling prohibiting organized labor from going on strike in protest of the removal of fuel subsidies in May.

The Congress on Wednesday declared preparations to start a seven-day warning strike on Wednesday, but findings suggest that if it carried out its threat, the FG may file a contempt case against the labor leaders.

A senior source assured Propolitics that the government will make sure that the court judgment was followed.

“We will file contempt charges against the labor leaders if they go ahead to disobey a subsisting court order by going on strike,’’ the official stated.

If the labor leaders choose to ignore an active court order by going on strike, the official said, “We will file contempt charges against them.”

The NLC and the TUC had organized their members for a statewide strike on June 7 in response to the withdrawal of fuel subsidies, which caused a surge in the price of Premium Motor Spirit from N140 to N540 per liter and the ensuing increase in prices of products and services.

However, on June 5, the FG obtained a ruling from the National Industrial Court prohibiting the unions from going on strike in opposition to the Federal Government’s unilateral elimination of fuel subsidies.

“We will file contempt charges against the labor leaders if they go ahead to disobey a subsisting court order by going on strike,’’ the official stated.

In the aftermath of the fuel subsidy withdrawal which led to a spike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit from N140 to N540 per liter and the attendant increase in prices of goods and services, the NLC and the TUC mobilized their members for a nationwide industrial action on June 7.

But the FG on June 5, secured an order from the National Industrial Court barring the unions from embarking on their planned strike to protest the unilateral removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

On June 20 when the case came up, Justice Olufunke Anuwe reiterated that her order restraining the NLC and TUC from going on a strike remained in force. The judge, as a result, ordered the parties to maintain the status quo and adjourned the matter till July 20, for a hearing.

“We will file contempt charges against the labor leaders if they go ahead to disobey a subsisting court order by going on strike,’’ the official stated.

In the aftermath of the fuel subsidy withdrawal which led to a spike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit from N140 to N540 per liter and the attendant increase in prices of goods and services, the NLC and the TUC had mobilised their members for a nationwide industrial action on June 7.

NLC insists

The NLC, however, announced on Wednesday that if the government did not immediately reverse all “anti-poor policies, such as the hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit; increase in public school fees; increase in Value Added Tax, among others,” it would call for a nationwide strike on August 2.

The decision was made by the congress during a Central Working Committee meeting on Tuesday night in Abuja.

The labor congress criticized the Tinubu administration for its “unfriendly” policies and added that the administration had continued to treat Nigerians like slaves in a statement jointly signed by Ajaero and Secretary-General, Emmanuel Ugboaja.

The NLC stated that as a result of the President’s remark that “Subsidy is gone” during his May 29, 2023 inauguration address, Nigerians lost their sense of calm.

With regard to its upcoming actions, the NLC stated that it had come under pressure from Nigerians who had been urging it to organize a nationwide strike.

The NLC stated that as a result of the President’s remark that “Subsidy is gone” during his May 29, 2023 inauguration address, Nigerians lost their sense of calm.

With regard to its upcoming actions, the NLC stated that it had come under pressure from Nigerians who had been urging it to organize a nationwide strike.

While the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers claimed it was in alignment with the NLC, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria announced that it was meeting and would announce its position on the topic on Thursday (today).

Dominic Igwebuike, acting general secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, told one of our journalists, “NUEE is an affiliate of NLC and we will join the strike action,” acknowledging that if the government did nothing, there would be a statewide blackout.

The National Public Relations Officer, PENGASSAN, Kingsley Udoidua, responded to a question about whether the senior staff association in the oil sector will join the NLC strike, stating that the union was still in talks over this.

“We are currently having conversions around this and when we reach our conclusion, you will hear from us. We will speak tomorrow (Thursday) and I will get back to you, but conversions are going on.

“So, until we come out of that meeting, that is when we will be able to tell everybody where PENGASSAN stands,” he stated, admitting that the association was also aware of the recent position taken by the TUC on the matter.

The TUC, on Monday, gave the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to address the concerns raised by labor unions as regards the removal of subsidy on petrol, or face workers’ protest.

Lawyers speak

Speaking on the declaration of a strike by organized labor despite the subsisting court order, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN said court judgment cannot stop the hardship experienced across the country.

He added that the government should dialogue with the NLC to find a lasting solution that would ameliorate the suffering of the masses.

Adegboruwa said, “I do not think there is a court judgment that can arrest suffering, hunger, and especially the hardship that is going on in our land. The FG should sit down with the workers to agree on the modalities for cushioning the effect of fuel subsidy removal. If time is not taken, people will just be falling and dying on the streets.

“This is not a matter that could be resolved through litigation. No amount of court cases can take away suffering. Also, I hope you are aware that it is only the NLC that is affected. Civil societies, activists, pressure groups, and NBA are not a party to the case. The court order can’t be enforced on them.”

On his part, Ifedayo Adedipe, SAN said the law must be obeyed unless it was set aside irrespective of the hardship in the country.

According to him, if the nation must progress, institutions and individuals must have respect for the rule of law.

He said, “If we must make progress, we must begin to respect our courts. Whatever the ruling of the court is, it must be obeyed unless it is set aside. If there is a subsisting judgment stopping NLC from going on strike, as a responsible body, the NLC must obey until that law is set aside. If Congress proceeds with a strike they might be walking a dangerous path.

“I agree there is hardship but disobeying court order is never the solution to the problem on the ground. If we don’t respect our laws, I am afraid we will not make progress. “

Adegoke Rasheed, SAN, said NLC leaders could be arrested for contempt if they proceeded with the strike.

“Until a judgment is set aside, it must be obeyed. It would be contempt of court for the NLC to disobey the court. If they do this and the court gets angry with them and orders the arrest of the leaders, the issue of human rights will not avail them. The order must be set aside before going on strike. The judges are passing through hardship too but everything must be done by the law. They have to tread with caution,” he said.

Another senior lawyer, Yomi Aliyu, SAN, also urged the NLC to obey the court order.

“They cannot go on strike if there is an extant order stopping them. The law should be respected. The FG should negotiate with them,” he advised.

“I agree there is hardship but disobeying court order is never the solution to the problem on the ground. If we don’t respect our laws, I am afraid we will not make progress. “

Adegoke Rasheed, SAN, said NLC leaders could be arrested for contempt if they proceeded with the strike.

“Until a judgment is set aside, it must be obeyed. It would be contempt of court for the NLC to disobey the court.

If they do this and the court gets angry with them and orders the arrest of the leaders, the issue of human rights will not avail them. The order must be set aside before going on strike. The judges are passing through hardship too but everything must be done by the law. They have to tread with caution,” he said.

Another senior lawyer, Yomi Aliyu, SAN, also urged the NLC to obey the court order.

“They cannot go on strike if there is an extant order stopping them. The law should be respected. The FG should negotiate with them,” he advised.

CSOs respond

In response to the NLC’s threat to strike, Auwal Rafsanjani, executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center, said that despite a court injunction against the NLC, the general public was free to demonstrate as is permitted by the Constitution.

“If the government stops the NLC from embarking on a peaceful demonstration, that does not include other Nigerians. Other Nigerians who are victims of socio-economic hardship, they have the right to go on and protest, and also join any movement because the Constitution is very clear; it allows freedom of association and movement,” he said.

On his part, the Chairman, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, faulted the NLC’s seeming lack of commitment to embarking on the strike, noting that while the NLC was supposed to lead and trigger a mass protest, it appeared they weren’t interested in following through with it.

“It’s like the NLC has not been very forthcoming or doesn’t mean to go on strike, and the NLC is supposed to be a leader in the mass movement, not to be the sole actor. So, they are supposed to trigger a mass protest, but the way NLC goes about it, they don’t mean to continue the strike, Adeniran concluded.