FG withdraws contempt charge against NLC, TUC following suspension of nationwide protests
The Federal Government has decided to withdraw the contempt charge against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) after the labor unions announced the suspension of their nationwide protests.
The decision came after the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, intervened and held meetings with the labor unions and the leadership of the National Assembly, leading to the call-off of the industrial action.
The Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. B.E. Jeddy-Agba, stated that the Ministry had initially initiated contempt proceedings against the labor unions due to concerns about compliance with extant court orders restraining any form of industrial action.
The government’s objective was to safeguard the integrity of the court and prevent any disruptions to public facilities.
However, the Ministry refrained from proceeding further with the contempt proceedings, as the labor unions decided to call off their industrial action after the discussions with President Tinubu and the National Assembly’s leadership. Consequently, the issuance of Form 48 on August 2, 2023, remained the starting point of the contempt proceedings, and the non-issuance of Form 49 rendered the proceedings inchoate.
The Ministry emphasized that the issues raised by the NLC in its communiqué regarding the contempt summons had been overtaken by events.
Therefore, they advised the labor unions on the practice and procedure of contempt proceedings.
