We didn’t receive court order not to strike – TUC

The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo has denied receiving any court order stopping the Organised Labour from embarking on the ongoing nationwide strike that began on Tuesday.

According to Osifo, once the unions receive a court order regarding the ongoing strike, they will consult with their legal team and make a decision accordingly.

In his words, “We don’t have a service on the court order but we have a government today who perpetually does not obey court orders.

“When DSS was holding Emefiele, how many court orders were passed for Emefiele to be released? Countless number of them,” he said.

“We have a state that refuses to obey court orders. You now expect others to obey court orders but once we see it, we are responsible institutions, we will not say because the Federal Government continuously violate court institution, we will examine it and if it is the right thing for us to do, yes, we will,” he added.

In his ruling, the President of the Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, cited Sections 17 and 19 of the National Industrial Court Act and ordered the unions to stop their nationwide strike.

Nonetheless, unions across the country initiated a nationwide strike on Tuesday, in a bid to demand justice following an assault on Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, which took place in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, on November 1, 2023.