The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and its counterpart, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), have decided to start the scheduled statewide walkout at midnight today.
The strike is a protest against the ongoing labor disputes in Imo State as well as the beating of the NLC President and others on November 1 in Owerri, Imo State.
On November 7, they decided that if their demands were not met, they would call for a nationwide strike by Tuesday, November 14.
The NLC President, other national leaders of the NLC, and their TUC counterparts were at the NLC state secretariat in Owerri to protest, among other grievances, the backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances, pensions, gratuities, and non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage Act.
Labor leaders had broken into their vehicles, injured them, and disposed of valuables such as phones, cash, and ATM cards from the leaders and others who had gathered there to begin a scheduled protest on November 1.
The attack, brutalization, and battering of Ajaero and others have continued to elicit outrage and condemnation throughout the country and beyond.
Recall that the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, on Friday, restrained the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on strike.
Benedict Kanyip, the judge, who is also the president of the court, ordered Nigeria’s two major labor unions, to stop their industrial action scheduled to commence on 14 November.