The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have called an extraordinary meeting of the National Executive Council, according to the union leadership.
Tommy Etim, the TUC’s National Vice-President, revealed this to our correspondent on Tuesday afternoon.
He said the purpose of the meeting was to go over the terms of the strike that was scheduled in response to the brutalization of the National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, and to go over the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed on October 2, 2023, by the Federal Government and Organized Labor, following the removal of the Premium Motor Spirit subsidy, which the Labor centers claimed had caused “untold hardship” to Nigerians.
He stated, “We will be holding an extraordinary NEC meeting any moment from now. The modalities include the injustice meted upon comrade Ajaero, the planned strike and the MOU signed with the Federal Government. More details will be revealed after the meeting.”
According to Platinum Times, organized labour which includes the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress issued a five-day ultimatum on Friday in response to the police’s Wednesday detention of Joe Ajaero, the National President of the NLC, in Owerri, Imo State.
The labour bodies sought the arrest and prosecution of the government assistant who was suspected of carrying out the attack, as well as the redeployment of the state’s commissioner of police.
In addition, the unions threatened to launch a nationwide strike if their demands were not fulfilled by Friday, the fifth day of the strike.
Police detained Ajaero on Wednesday before the state-wide demonstration in Imo. Benson Upah, the NLC’s Head of Information, made this revelation.
The governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, accused the labor leader of interfering in state politics, even though the police denied detaining Ajaero and claimed he was just placed in protective custody to avert a mob attack.
Numerous well-known Nigerians and civil society organizations, including human rights attorney Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi for 2023, have denounced the attack on the labor leader.