Court Stops NLC, TUC Strike …Senate Okays Fuel Hike …S’East, S’South, NANS Kick

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (right), inspecting ongoing projects in Port Harcourt and Obio/ Akpor Local Government Areas alongside PDP Chieftain, Prince Emma Anyanwu, yesterday

The National Industrial Court, yesterday, stopped the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on their planned strike over the increase in fuel price by the Federal Government.
The labour unions had threatened to commence a nationwide strike, today.
Justice Babatunde Adejumo gave the restraining order after the Attorney General of the Federation, and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, argued an ex parte application in which the prayer for the order was contained.
Justice Adejumo ruled, “the defendants are hereby restrained from carrying out the threat contained in their communique issued on May 14, 2016 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed on May 16.
“It is the order of this court that status quo be maintained as at May 17.”
The order being an interim one will last for seven days, although it is subject to renewal.
The judge also ordered that the processes in the case be served on the respondents within 24 hours and that proof of service be filed in the court.
“It is the order of this court that none of the parties shall engage in any act, conduct, overtly, covertly on this matter pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” Justice Adejumo added.
The judge transferred the hearing of the substantive case to another judge of the court on the grounds that he would be engaged at the National Judicial Council when the matter would be deemed for hearing.
He also said that he granted the order to make sure that people were not subjected to avoidable hardship.
He said, “I decided to take this case this morning because it is on an issue that will affect everybody. I don’t want people to be subjected to hardship. There will be scarcity of foods, people may die, students will engage in all sorts of activities. This is why I have to grant this order.”
Malami, while moving the ex parte application, said it was in the national interest to stop NLC from shutting down the nation over last week’s increase in price of fuel.
He cited Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to justify his application to stop the strike.
Malami argued that ýno amount of damages could serve as compensation if NLC was allowed to shut down the economy.
He further argued that the balance of convenience was in favour of the government.
Malami said that labour met on Saturday and issued a communique wherein it gave government a three-day ultimatum to reverse the decision increasing fuel price.
He further told the court that NLC had threatened to shut down the country if government failed to reverse the fuel price increase.
He said that he got notice of the communique on Sunday and quickly filed an originating summons, together with motion on notice and an exparte application to determine whether NLC’s decision was justified in the circumstance.
Among other questions put before the court, Malami asked the court to determine, “Whether the respondents (NLC, Trade Union Congress) have complied with the laid down condition precedent for embarking on strike.
“Whether indeed there exist in law and in fact the basis of which the respondents’ total closure of the economy can be justified.”
Meanwhile, the Senate, yesterday, endorsed the Federal Government’s decision to peg the pump price of petrol at N145 per litre.
Rising from an Executive Session, presided by Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, the Senate called on the government to parley labour unions to forestall the threatened strike.
Ekweremadu said that the Senate sympathised with Nigerians for the hardship which the new prices of petrol will cause, and called on the government to implement the palliatives.
The Federal Government had last Wednesday, announced the removal of subsidy from petrol and pegged the price at not more than N145 per litre.
Organised labour had threatened to embark on strike by today, if government fails to revert to N86.5 per litre.
In another development,  the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone B, has vowed to shutdown Federal Government parastatals and institutions in the South-South and South-East should President Muhammadu Buhari fail to revert to the old pump price of fuel.
Describing the hike in the pump price of fuel by the Federal Government as a ploy to impoverish Nigerians, they alleged that Muhammadu Buhari was insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
South-South and South-East Zonal Coordinator of NANS, Pedro Chibuzo, in a statement made available to newsmen, yesterday, said, “We expressly register total dissatisfaction towards the callous and insensitive hike in price of Premium Motor Sprit (PMS) from N86 to N145 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Chibuzo in the statement, said “we had advised the President to abdicate his acclaimed position as the minister of petroleum”, pointing out that “it would spell disaster on the nation’s economy and here we are as we have been vindicated.
However, the organised Labour has insisted on going ahead with today’s nationwide strike despite the National Industrial court ruling restraining the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) from going ahead with the action.
The Ayuba Wabba-led NLC was reported to have walked out of the meeting with the Federal Government yesterday, saying they were mobilizing their members to embark on an indefinite strike from today.
However the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joe Ajaero-led faction of the NLC are said to have pulled out of the nation-wide strike.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) Babachir Lawal has assured Nigerians that government will ensure free movement in spite of the strike called by labour.
The SGF said the Federal Government has directed Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Agencies to invoke the ‘No work no pay’ rule on any worker who joins the strike.
However, speaking to The Tide, the Rivers State NLC Chairperson, Comrade Beatrice Itubo, said that the congress must obey the directive of the NLC national leadership.
Itubo said that the congress, in the state has directed the workers to stockpile food stuff ahead of the strike, adding that the action would be enforced in strict adherence to the congress’ directive.
She said that the industrial action will only be called off when the federal Government meets the demands of labour on behalf of the workers and ordinary Nigerians to reduce the pump price of petrol.
The NLC boss urged all affiliate Unions of the Congress to join the action to save the nation.
Also speaking to The Tide, the state Chairman Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Chika Onuegbu, advised the organised labour to rather proffer positive solutions to the Federal Government’s policy than embark on nationwide strike
Onuegbu said that Labour must hold discussions and enlightenment to critically examine the challenges and reality on ground, and come out with better policy and blueprint as alternative to government’s deregulation policy.
He said that Labour’s blueprint would serve a useful purpose to the Federal Government on how to handle the situation.
However, prior to the Federal Government going to court, there has been an atmosphere of uncertainty over the strike action as major unions in the private sector have opted out of the strike.
The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers of Nigeria (NUPENG), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and even the umbrella body of the private sector, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) have all opted out of the strike.
The Tide learnt that the Federal Government meeting on Monday and yesterday in Abuja ended in deadlock.