NLC, TUC threaten fresh strike in Imo State

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) counterparts have issued a fresh threat to resume strike action in Imo State.

This comes two weeks after the organized labour suspended industrial action to protest against interference by the state government in the state chapter election and “violence against workers” in the state.

NLC National President, Comrade Joseph Ajaero, had explained that the decision to suspend the earlier strike was mainly intended to “have an enabling environment for citizens in the state to perform their civic duty on Saturday 18 March by way of voting for State House of Assembly candidates of their choice.”

However, in a letter jointly signed by both union general secretaries, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja of NLC and Nuhu Toro of TUC, in Abuja yesterday, the labour centres demanded from the Imo State government a definite date for the conclusive resolution of the industrial dispute in Imo State.

The letter with reference number NLC/NS/B.10/292 was addressed to the Governor of the State, Hope Uzodinma, and stated that the organised labour was yet to hear from the Imo State Government of a date to conclude bilateral discussions which had already considered all the issues of dispute and extracted commitments from the government pending the formal signing of a fresh collective bargaining agreement.

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“Our expectation is that the Imo State Government would reciprocate our goodwill by scheduling and communicating a date for the conclusion of discussions towards the resolution of the industrial dispute in Imo State,” the letter reads.

“Arising from the decision of a Joint National Executive Council meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, we demand that Your Excellency should communicate to the leadership of the two national labour centres a definite date for the conclusion of the bilateral industrial discussion and the signing of a collective bargaining agreement with the Imo State Government.

“We also wish to convey the resolution of the NEC of the NLC and TUC that failure to expeditiously schedule and communicate the date for the conclusion of the industrial discussion and signing of an agreement would force Organized Labour in Nigeria to reactivate the suspended industrial action in Imo State without any further notice,” it added.

The NLC and TUC had embarked on a nationwide strike in September 2020 to protest against an increase in the pump price of petrol and the electricity tariff. The strike was later suspended after an agreement was reached between the federal government and labour unions.

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