Industrial Court stops planned NLC, TUC strike

The National Industrial Court in Abuja, on Thursday, issued an interim order restraining the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on their strike planned to start on Monday, September 28, 2020.

Justice Ibrahim Galadima issued the interim order following an ex-parte application filed by a group, Peace and Unity Ambassadors Association through their counsel, Sunusi Musa.

The NLC and TUC had threatened to embark on the planned strike to press for the reversal of the hike in electricity tariff and petrol pump price.

But Justice Galadima ordered the labour unions, their officers, and affiliate groups to halt the plan to embark on the strike pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicant.

The judge also granted an order of interim injunction restraining the unions from disrupting, restraining, picketing or preventing the workers or ordinary Nigerians from accessing their offices to carry out their legitimate duties on September 28, 2020, or any other date.

The court also granted an order compelling the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General Department of State Services to provide protection for workers engaged in their legitimate duties from any form of harassment, intimidation and bullying by the officers, agents or privies of the unions pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.