The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have decided to suspend their nationwide strike, which had been ongoing for two days. The decision was reached during a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting between the leadership of the TUC and NLC, following the intervention of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
The NEC meeting, which commenced a few minutes past 7 pm and lasted close to one hour, saw leaders of various affiliates and state chapters reviewing the outcome of a prior meeting between the organized labour leaders and Ribadu.
According to Tommy Etim, the National Deputy Vice-President of the TUC, in an interview with The PUNCH, the decision to suspend the strike was made after discussions with the Bola Ahmed Tinubu government.
“The NEC of the NLC and the TUC have suspended the strike. We did this based on our trust for the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who gave us his words,” Etim stated.
The intervention of the National Security Adviser played a pivotal role in the resolution, and the suspension of the industrial action indicates a temporary reprieve in the ongoing standoff between organized labour and the government. The strike, which had affected various sectors across the country, is now on hold as both parties engage in further dialogues to address the issues at the heart of the dispute.