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On Wednesday night, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC suspended their nationwide strike.
NLC and TUC embarked on a nationwide strike over the alleged assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero.
The unions' decision to suspend the strike came after the intervention of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
TUC National Deputy President, Tommy Etim, said both unions suspended the strike based on the trust they had in Ribadu.
“The NECs of the NLC and the TUC have suspended the strike. We did this based on our trust in the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu who gave us his word.
"We also saw that he wasn’t playing politics with our demands and he was ready and promised to follow up with everything.”
TUC National Deputy President, Tommy Etim
Etim continued;
“It is a temporary suspension. We are going to give them some time after which we will meet and if they fail to meet up, the strike resumes.
“We listened to the NSA and he listened to us. He noted that Ajaero didn’t do anything wrong by going to Imo State.
"We must commend the NSA and it is because of him that there is a suspension of the strike.”
OPS Knock NCL, TUC Over Industrial Strike Action
However, the Organized Private Sector (OPS) and maritime operators criticized the NLC and TUC for the timing and conception of the strike action.
OPS cited the potential impact the strike would have on the Federal Government's ability to meet yearly revenue targets.
The OPS, representing critical players in the economy, emphasized that the strike would have adverse effects.
A Nigerian Economic Summit Group facilitator, Dr Ikenna Nwosu amongst the OPS knocking the NLC and TUC over the strike, 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.”
Dr Ikenna Nwosu
Nwosu further hinted that the strike will affect the Federal Government's ability to meet its yearly revenue 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.’’
Dr Ikenna Nwosu
The National Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Segun Kuti-George also condemning the strike, said;
“There is already difficulty in transportation hindering workers from reaching their workplaces. This, in turn, is expected to lead to a decline in productivity, potentially affecting both small and large businesses."
NLC, TUC Strike: N20 Billion Lost in Two Days
Within two days into the strike, the country had lost between N10bn to N20bn.
The licenced customs agents working in the maritime sector of the country made this disclosure.
Speaking on the development, the Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Mr Nnadi Ugochukwu said,
“The country is losing and the individuals are also losing. I have a customer here who was supposed to take delivery of his vehicles yesterday (Tuesday) but he couldn’t, having to pay demurrage of about N500,000 on a car for two weeks.
“He is paying N30,000 daily. He had paid today (Wednesday) and he can’t take it today so he will still pay for another day tomorrow. So, everybody is losing but I can’t equate how much that is being lost.’’
Confirming the amount lost, the Chairman of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Tin Can Island Chapter, Abayomi Duyile, said,
“The cost for these days now should be in billions. Let’s just say they have lost about N20bn in these few days. You know a day you do not work in our clime, you know the cost implications.
“It is painful when you want to work and all the contractual agreements are disrupted, it is painful. Even manufacturing companies are also affected. The unfortunate thing is that most guys that come to the port for their daily bread can’t feed any longer.”
Suing for peace, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Adewale Oyerinde said,
“The strike is quite unfortunate, more so at a time when job losses are on the high; business shutdown is becoming a daily occurrence and inflation is riding high.
“It is no gainsaying that the cost of this strike, again, is humongous and cannot be appropriately quantified.”
“We hope that reason will prevail, and the government and labour will get to the discussion table. Organised businesses cannot sit by and watch both parties turn into undertakers of legally established and responsible businesses.”
NSA Meeting With Labour Unions
During the meeting between organized labour and the NSA, the National Deputy President of the TUC, Tommy Etim, clarified that the strike's suspension was based on trust in Ribadu.
He highlighted that it was a temporary suspension and emphasized the readiness to resume the strike if the government failed to meet their demands.
RocketParrot reported that the NSA, during a meeting with labour leaders, announced the arrest of two suspects involved in the attack on Ajaero in Owerri, Imo State, on November 1.
The NSA apologized for the assault on the NLC president and urged organized labour to call off the strike, emphasizing the government's commitment to addressing the issue.
While the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, expressed optimism about ending the strike, the NLC listed six conditions that must be met before considering an indefinite suspension, including the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the attack on Ajaero.
The strike, which has now been temporarily suspended has already impacted various sectors, leading to estimated losses of billions in the maritime sector.
