TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Government has obtained an Order of Interim Injunction to restrain the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) from calling out workers on industrial action.
Listed as defendants are, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress(TUC), Ayuba Wabba, Quadri Olaleye, Beatrice Itubo and Austin Jonah.
Briefing journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, said NLC has been duly served with the court order.
Nsirim stated that Rivers government believes in the rule of law and would obey it to the latter in the subsisting matter.
The interim court order read in part, “restraining the defendants either by themselves or through their servants, agents, privies, officers or otherwise from embarking on strike action in Rivers state on 5th, 6th or 7th September, 2020”.
The commissioner said the order also restrained the defendants not to embark on strike on any other date whether earlier or later, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction filed in the suit.
According to him, the defendants, their servants, agents, privies and officers were also restrained from “stopping, hindering, preventing, disrupting and /or interfering in any manner whatsoever with the provision of service and other works.
“Other works by their members in the Civil and Public Service of the Claimant /Applicant pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion on notice for interlocutory injunction already filed”, he stated.
Nsirim said that the injunction was obtained on September 1, 2020, from the Port Harcourt Division of the National Industrial Court holden at Lagos before Justice N. C. S. Ogbuanya.
The commissioner said the originating summons, motion on notice and other processes in the suit along with the interim order had been served the defendants.
He pointed out that the court processes and the interim order were published in Vanguard and Daily Sun Newspapers of Thursday, September 3, 2020, as substituted means of service on the defendants.
Nsirim noted that if Labour decides to disobey the law, it would be considered as contempt of court and the law would take its course.