Affiliates of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have joined the organised labour in the ongoing nationwide strike.
News About Nigeria gathered that the unions participating in the nationwide strike include the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP), the National Union of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE).
Others include the National Union of Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Employees, the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), the National Union of Electricity Employees, and the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers.
According to organised labour, the strike aims to protest the physical assault that NLC National President Joe Ajaero suffered in Imo State two weeks ago.
He and other union members were in Imo state to protest the non-payment of workers’ salaries and pensions for 44 months and other violations of workers’ rights.
The union is also aggrieved over the federal government’s inability to address issues affecting workers, such as the minimum wage, insecurity, corruption, fuel subsidy removal, and poor governance filled with ‘anti-poor people’s policies.’
The strike began today (Tuesday) despite a court order restraining organised labour from embarking on the strike.
It can be recalled that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, stated in a release that the federal government had obtained a restraining order from the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NIC) barring the unions from going ahead with the strike.
