Organized Labour Suspends Two Day Old Strike, Workers to Resume Duties Today
The Organized Labour has suspended its crippling two day old strike. With this development, workers are expected to resume duty this morning nationwide.
The nationwide strike was organized to protest the brutalization of the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, while leading a workers protest in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Leaders of NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) who organized the strike announced its suspension at a joint meeting of their National Executive Council on Wednesday night.
The meeting was convened, shortly after the Labour leaders met virtually with the national security adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
After the meeting, Labour leaders consulted the state chapters of different affiliates of both TUC and NLC on the deliberation during their meeting with the National Security Adviser.
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Deputy Vice President of TUC, Tommy Etim, confirmed the suspension of the strike, warning it would resume if the agreement reached at the meeting with the national security adviser was breached.
Two days into the strike, licensed customs agents operating in the nation’s maritime sector, said that the country had lost between N10bn to N20bn following the lockdown of the ports by the Maritime Workers Unions of Nigeria.
A facilitator with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Dr Ikenna Nwosu, said, “For me, the impact is coming at a very bad time when the exchange rate is trying to find its way back to some level of stability; that is the worst part of it. So, it is coming at that good time when the currency is about stabilising.”
Nwosu added that the strike would affect the government’s ability to meet its yearly revenue target.
He added, “Secondly, it is also going to affect the ability of the government to meet its revenue target. They are losing money, the ports are closed and ships can’t berth to offload their cargoes.’’
