Mohammed Shosanya
President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, Friday,stopped the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) as well as other affiliate unions from going on any form of nation wide strike from November 14.
The two leading labour unions were stopped from going on with the planned strike through an exparte order secured by the Federal Government on Friday on Friday evening.
The motion was filed by and moved by the Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.
The Federal Government and the AGF through their lawyer, Tijani Gazali SAN, had in the ex-parte motion asked the court to restrain the labour unions from embarking on the planned industrial action in order not to unleash untold hardships on innocent law abiding citizens and their businesses.
Gazali drew the attention of Justice Kanyip to series of hardships suffered by Nigerians on Thursday alone when the labour unions blocked entrances to the main Airports in the country.
He told the court that if the planned strike action is not stopped, there may be likelihood of breach of peace and tranquility in the country.
Justice Kanyip invoked sections 17 and 19 of the National Industrial Court Act to issue the restraining order against the labour unions.
The Judge, persuaded by the government arguments in a short ruling said that it was within the power of the court to intervene by way of restraining order to ensure peace and tranquility.
He proceeded to grant all the reliefs of the Federal Government as set out on the motion paper.
Besides, Justice Kanyip held that the restraining order be pasted on the wall of the Labour House being the last known address of the two defendants to draw their attention to the Court’s order.
Besides,the Judge stated that the order along with the originating and other processes be served on the defendants by publication in two major national dailies.
