Kwara State government has secured a court injuction restraining Labour Unions from embarking on a planned strike billed to commence from tomorrow, October 13.
The Labour Unions, comprising NLC, TUC and JNC, had ordered all workers to stay at home following disagreements with the government over the implementation of the new minimum wage.
A statement by Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, today, however, revealed that the National Industrial Court in Akure, the capital city of Ondo State, on Monday granted an exparte order restraining the labour unions in Kwara State from the planned strike.
The ex parte order was granted by Justice D.K. Damulak of the Akure Division of the Industrial Court, and has been served on the labour unions in Ilorin, the state capital, on Monday afternoon, according to the statement.
The case, with the suit no, NICN/AK/53/2020, was instituted by the Attorney General of Kwara State as Plaintiff while the defendants include the Nigeria Labour Congress; Trade Union Congress; Joint Negotiation Committee; Aliyu Issa Ore (State NLC Chairman), Ezekiel Adegoke (State TUC Chairman); and Saliu Suleiman (JNC Chairman).
The government is asking whether it was lawful for it to sign an agreement affecting local government workers when it is not in control of its finances nor expending its funds.
The government is asking the court to declare that the local government is a separate tier of government with its own financial autonomy and which wages could not be determined by the state government, irrespective of some oversight powers the state government may have on them — just as the federal government also has some oversight powers on the states.
The court has adjourned to October 20 to hear the motion.