NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC President Festus Osifo, responded to the contempt court in a joint statement made available to TheNiche on Wednesday night.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have confirmed receiving court summons charging them with contempt of court for allegedly resisting an order restricting the unions from embarking on industrial action.
The “notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court” also titled “Form 48,” was filed before the National Industrial Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
“TAKE NOTICE that unless you obey the Directions contained in the Order of the National Industrial Court, Abuja, delivered Honourable Justice Y. Anuwe on the 5th day of June, 2023, as per the attached Enrolled Order, you will be guilty of Contempt of Court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the notice read.
The Organised Labour on Wednesday kicked off its protest against the “anti-people” policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and other states of the Federation including Lagos,Benue, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo.
Top officials of the NLC and TUC joined the protest in the Federal Capital Territory starting from the Unity Fountain with hundreds of their members.
READ ALSO:
Tinubu picks Wike, Oyetola, Fagbemi, others as ministers
Affiliated unions of the NLC and the TUC including the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria (NUEE), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) also joined the nationwide protest.
Responding to the contempt court, NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC President Festus Osifo, in a joint statement made available to TheNiche on Wednesday night, said: “It is also important that we inform Nigerians that we have just received a court summons purporting to charge us with contempt of court. We urge all Nigerians to be vigilant because it appears that the days of long knives are here with us again.”
“To further show our collective resolve, all Nigerian workers will resume at the courts wherever they may be across the nation on the days of the xourt sittings to hear the contempt proceedings against the leaders of trade unions,” the statement added.
The Labour unions thanked Nigerians for making their voices heard through the protests.