Posted by From FRANCIS AWEOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja on
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed satisfaction at the decision of the National Industrial Council (NIC) to throw out the Oyo State government application seeking to compel its workers to resume work, by declaring their industrial action as unlawful.
...As industrial court affirms strike
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed satisfaction at the decision of the National Industrial Council (NIC) to throw out the Oyo State government application seeking to compel its workers to resume work, by declaring their industrial action as unlawful.
The court set aside the purported sack of the workers.
Interestingly, the state government, which had pronounced the entire 34,000 work-force as sacked and went ahead to advertise their position as vacant capitulated before the court, saying at no time were the workers sacked by the government.
The industrial court had ruled that the state government could not terminate the action embarked upon by the workers without first resolving the grievances that triggered the action.
NLC General Secretary, John Odah said in the organized labour's reaction to the ruling that that the state was just chasing a shadow by seeking to break the strike when it has refused to resume negotiation.
In a statement signed by Odah it said: 'Congress welcomes the direction of the court suspending the application of the state government for interlocutory injunction restraining the workers from continuing with their strike.
'In pronouncing on the application by the counsel to the workers, Barrister Bamidele Aturu, for setting aside the purported mass sack of the workers, the court noted that under Nigeria 's labour laws, workers cannot be sacked collectively by fiat, as they have valid individual contracts of employment. Congress is reassured by this pronouncement.
'We also note with some relief the retraction before the court by the Attorney General of Oyo State, Mr. Michael Lana, that the state government has not sacked any worker over the strike."
The NLC, however, while expressing solidarity with the workers in the on-going face-off with the state government, renewed its call on the state to resume dialogue towards reaching a negotiated settlement of the current industrial dispute, adding that the dispute required dialogue and is really not a matter for the courts.
'We believe that before the 4th of October 2007 when the NIC will reconvene, the matter can be resolved through dialogue if the government of Oyo State has the necessary political will. Congress reaffirms its solidarity with the workers of Oyo State and urges them to remain steadfast", the statement noted.