The Federal Government of Nigeria withdrew its contempt case against the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Monday. This decision comes in the wake of a nationwide protest against subsidy removal organized by the labor unions on August 2, 2023.
This development is a significant turn of events since, only five days earlier, the Federal Ministry of Justice had sued the union leaders for allegedly defying a court order that prohibited them from leading the protest. The National Industry Court had previously barred the labor unions from staging a strike, but the unions, backed by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, went ahead with their protest.
Following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, the organized labor agreed to halt the one-day protest after the government committed to approving labor awards and expediting subsidy palliative implementation. Despite this agreement, the Ministry of Justice filed a lawsuit for contempt against the labor unions, which intensified tensions and led the unions to announce another nationwide strike scheduled for August 14.
The latest communication from the Federal Ministry of Justice, dated August 7, 2023, confirms the withdrawal of the contempt proceedings against the NLC. The letter highlighted that the contempt proceedings were initiated before President Tinubu and the National Assembly intervened.
Now, with the contempt case shelved, the ball lies in the court of the labor leaders regarding their next course of action. Femi Falana pointed out that the decision to continue or halt the planned strike would be made by the labor leaders.
Earlier, the justice ministry had cautioned against the labor unions’ proposed strike, labeling it as contempt of court. But, unhappy with the government’s delayed actions, the unions went ahead with their protest, which brought several parts of the nation to a standstill.
The Federal Government’s retaliation through a contempt of court proceeding against labor leaders intensified hostilities between the two entities. But with the recent letter from the Federal Ministry of Justice, it seems that a resolution may be on the horizon.
Chris Onyeka, the National Assistant Secretary, mentioned that the union would convene a meeting to decide their subsequent steps. The NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, also revealed that they would be meeting with members of the National Assembly to discuss further and emphasized that the government should honor all agreements made.
