The National Industrial Court on Monday granted an interim order restraining the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress from embarking on strike on Wednesday.
Justice O. Y. Anuwe issued the order and adjourned further hearing till 19 June.
The Informant247 had reported that the Nigeria Labour Congess (NLC) declared a nationwide strike starting from next Wednesday.
The Labour unions’ decision followed the fuel shortages across the country occasioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inaugural speech in which he declared that “fuel subsidy is gone”.
Joe Ajaero, the NLC President while announcing this after an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja, said the government, particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had up until Wednesday next week to revert to the old price petrol, adding that failure of the Federal Government to meet the ultimatum would attract an indefinite protest across the country.
President Tinubu had last week Monday during his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square in Abuja, declared that the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended, saying with the 2023 budget making no provision for fuel subsidy, further payment was no longer justifiable.
“The fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu said. His government would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy, he added.
Meanwhile, the president’s pronouncement has led to an instant resurgence of fuel queues across the country with Nigerians foraging for the premium product.
Though Tinubu’s decision received backing from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and House of Representatives, it has since been resisted by the NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
Accoring to the organised labour, the President cannot unilaterally take a decision on subsidy removal.
TUC President, Festus Osifo, also argued that there was a reason the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari pushed the “sensitive issue” to the new government.
It could be recalled that on Wednesday, an hours-long meeting between the Federal Government and the NLC on the matter ended without a consensus.
The Federal Government representatives included Dele Alake, the spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu; and the Group CEO of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
On the organised labour’s side, the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero; and the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Festus Osifo, were present.
The NLC demanded that the Federal Government return to status quo by reversing the price of fuel before resuming negotiations with labour while it insisted that the Federal Government did not enter into any conversation even on palliative measures for Nigerians before the decision