'We are not politicians who go to court' - NLC speaks on renewed fight with Tinubu's govt

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it was not aware of any court judgment that restrained it from embarking on a nationwide strike.

Speaking on Arise TV on Monday evening, November 13, Emmanuel Ugboaja, the general secretary of NLC, said the union's industrial action was not in court with anybody and that the workers are not politicians that the people can challenge to seek redress in court.

NLC condemns beating of Joe Ajaero in Imo state

Ugboaja lamented that the beating the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, received in Imo state was uncalled for, insisting that the situation was a national issue and not of the southeast state to address.

He accused the police of masterminding the attack on the workers during a protest in Imo a few days before the governorship election in the state.

The NLC president emphasised that President Bola Tinubu-led federal government failed to consider them as social partners and call them to the round table to address the development in Imo state.

Why beating of Joe Ajaero is a national issue, NLC explains

Ugboaja argued that since the police were the major character in the situation, the attack is therefore from the federal government and not from Imo state government.

His statement reads in part: "“We are not politicians that people will challenge go to court, go to court; it is not about going to court, we should have a culture of social dialogue. and what the ILO, the oldest agency of the United Nations, has deepened after the Second World War is to get people to discuss, is to get people to have conversations, not to be beaten up, not to be dehumanized, not to be threatened to go to court, go to court, no.”

Legit.ng earlier reported that the NLC and TUC have declared a nationwide strike from Tuesday over the alleged attack on the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, at a protest in Imo state a few days before the governorship election.

Festus Osifo, the president of the TUC, said the strike would last until the government at all levels did the right thing.

Ajaero had mobilised members of the labour union to protest in Imo, but some suspected thugs attacked them.