The Nigerian labor unions have advised their members to begin a nationwide strike, and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has ordered its members to mobilize fully in order to comply.
The NUEE advised its members to follow the direction and cease work starting in the wee hours of Tuesday in a notification that was signed on Monday by Dominic Igwebike, interim general secretary.
Given the workers’ vital roles in the nation’s power distribution, the country could go without light as a result of the NUEE members’ strike.
Following the brutalization of NLC President Joe Ajaero in Imo State on November 1, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced a strike.
During an NLC protest against the Imo State administration over allegations of worker mistreatment, Mr. Ajaero was attacked in the state capital of Owerri.
On Monday, the unions sent their members nationwide instructions to put down their tools as of Tuesday.
This is in spite of the restraining order the National Industrial Court in Abuja imposed on Friday, which prevented the labor unions from going on strike. On November 14, the two major labor unions were ordered by Judge Benedict Kanyip to cease their planned industrial action.
Because the labor unions were threatening to go on strike, the Nigerian government, through the offices of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Justice, requested the temporary injunction ex parte.
As for the walkout, the presidency has denounced it as an unconstitutional and unjustified conduct and labeled it government extortion.
The government is still perplexed as to why labor would penalize a whole nation of more than 200 million people over a personal dispute involving the NLC President, according to a statement released on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Advisor to the President on Information & Strategy.
Similar advice against going on strike was given to the unions on Monday by the Attorney General of the Federation’s office, which also asked them to abide by the court order that was allegedly handed to them.
After the unions received the court ruling, the office implored them to desist from what it called a disdainful act.
“If the government refused to address the issues raised from the shortfall of the atrocious event in Imo State,” the NUEE asked its members to completely discontinue using its services.
“We confirm that the nationwide strike will begin as scheduled on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, in accordance with the NLC NEC meeting of November 13, 2023, and the joint communique from NLC and TUC dated November 7, 2023, regarding nationwide withdrawal of service on November 14, 2023, should the government refuse to address the issues raised from the shortfall of the atrocious event in Imo State on November 1, 2023.
To this end, we kindly ask all National, State, and Chapter executives to begin organizing our people in full accordance with this instruction.