Court dismisses motion on fresh order to bar labour from strike

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja dismissed a prayer for a fresh order barring organised labour from proceeding on its planned nationwide strike slated for Nov. 6.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the court had on Nov. 2 restrained the organised labour from proceeding on the nationwide strike scheduled for Nov. 6, over new national minimum wage.
Justice Kado Sanusi restrained the NLC and the TUC from embarking on the industrial action pending the determination of the substantive suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation.
Sanusi also restrained the NLC, TUC and the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Governors Forum, respondents in the suit from taking steps capable of destroying the subject matter of the suit.
The judge had adjourned hearing on the substantive suit until Nov. 8.
The court presided over by Justice Sanusi Kado also refused to grant a prayer for an order to compel the government to immediately commence the process of adopting N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.
Mr Okere Nnamdi,, Counsel to the Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International, an NGO, approached the court on behalf of the group with the fresh exparte motion.
Nnamdi had prayed the court to stop the organised labour from embarking on the strike and to order the Federal Government to immediately commence the process of paying the N30,000 minimum wage.
The counsel had told the court that he filed the processes on Nov. 1.
Nnamdi therefore prayed the court to grant his prayers which included one seeking for an order of substituted service on the 36 governors.
The judge however held that it would be against the practice direction of the court to make an order barring labour from going on the planned strike having earlier made similar order on Nov. 2.
In the circumstance, the court compelled the plaintiff to withdraw the application as it became an academic exercise.