Factional labour union ULC suspends strike

The United Labour Congress (ULC) has suspended the strike it embarked upon five days ago.

The industrial action has now been suspended for one week, the group said.

The President of the congress, Joe Ajaero, announced the suspension while briefing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.

The strike, he said, was suspended after a closed-door meeting with officials of the federal government on Tuesday.

The meeting was part of steps by government to resolve issues that led to the strike, which began on September 15.

The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, said the union and the federal government would resume negotiations on September 26.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how aviation unions affiliated to the ULC on Monday shunned directives to shut down the Nigerian airspace as the congress launched its nationwide strike.

The unions are the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, Aeronautical Information Services Association of Nigeria, and the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers.

The unions had earlier at a meeting with the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency dissociated themselves from the strike.

NAN aviation correspondents, who monitored the situation at both the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, observed normal flight operations by airlines.

The ULC had issued the strike notice following government’s failure to recognise the body as a labour federation despite fulfilling all conditions stipulated by law.

According to it, the failure of government to recognise the group violates the constitution of Nigeria which guarantees freedom of association, and the Trade Union Act.

It accused the government of excluding the congress, which has over 20 registered trade unions, from its planned discussions with labour on national minimum wage.