The Organized Labour has asserted that it has not been served with any court order to suspend the ongoing nationwide strike initiated on Tuesday.
Additionally, it accuses the government of consistently ignoring court orders while concurrently insisting on unwavering compliance with judicial rulings from other entities.
“Yes, we don’t have a service on the court order but we have a government today who perpetually does not obey court orders. When DSS was holding Emefiele, how many court orders were passed for Emefiele to be released? Countless number of them,” TUC President Festus Osifo, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, said on Wednesday.
The labour leader has announced that once the unions receive a court order regarding the ongoing strike, they will consult with their legal team and make a decision accordingly.
“We have a state that refuses to obey court orders. You now expect others to obey court orders but once we see it, we are responsible institutions, we will not say because the Federal Government continuously violate court institution, we will examine it and if it is the right thing for us to do, yes, we will,” he said.
On Monday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) issued a directive for their affiliates to commence a nationwide withdrawal of services from midnight on November 14, 2023.
The PUNCH reported that, in response, the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Minister of Justice filed an ex-parte application, seeking a court order to prevent the unions from proceeding with the planned strike.
In a ruling, President of the Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, invoked Sections 17 and 19 of the National Industrial Court Act, instructing the unions to halt their nationwide strike.
Despite this court order, unions nationwide initiated the strike on Tuesday, seeking justice following an attack on Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, that occurred in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, on November 1, 2023.
Employees across various states participated in the strike, leading to the closure of operations at numerous government-owned establishments.
During the course of the industrial action, some states exhibited partial adherence, with certain workers opting to continue their routine responsibilities.