Nigerian labour leaders walked out of a meeting with the government, saying they are mobilizing their members for an indefinite strike.
NLC members protesting
In its continous protest of an increase in petrol price, Nigerian Labour leaders reportedly walked out of a closed-door meeting with the federal government on Tuesday, saying they are mobilising their members for an indefinite strike from Wednesday.
It was gathered that in an attempt to broker a last minute agreement of cease-fire, the meeting of the labour leaders with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and other officials of federal government, was convened.
The General Executive Secretary of Medical and Health Workers Union, north central, Richard Gbamwuan, also disclosed shortly after an emergency NEC meeting of the NLC held in Abuja on Tuesday, that they were going ahead with the proposed strike.
"We have resolved to go ahead with the protest nationwide, as far as we are concerned, we are yet to be aware of any court injunction.
"And if there is any court injunction, we are just doing what federal government is fond of doing. The same Industrial court had stopped federal government from increasing electric tariff but till date federal government ignored us, they still went ahead, so we are embarking on the protest," he said.
The SGF, Lawal, said the government would ensure free movement of persons despite the strike called by the NLC.
Peter Ozo-Eson, General Secretary of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), had earlier told Premium Times that from all indications the strike would go on as planned. "It is clear the strike will go ahead as planned," Ozo-Eson said ahead of the meeting with the government.
The strike is coming despite an order of the National Industrial Court restraining labour from going ahead with the threat. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had earlier on Tuesday approached the Industrial Court on behalf of federal government to stop the strike.