BY Tony Edike
ENUGU—The labour crisis in Enugu State took a different dimension, Wednesday, as the State government dragged the labour bodies before the National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja seeking among other things, a declaration that the industrial action by workers in the state at the instance of Congress is unlawful.

The government, in a suit filed September 12, listed the NLC and six others including the Chairman and Secretaries of the state chapter of the body and the Trade Union Congress as defendants.

The Sullivan Chime government wants the court to declare that the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2011 merely required an employer to pay every worker a wage that is not less than N18,000 per month and did not apply to the determination of wages payable generally to other workers or employees in such organization.

The suit furthers seeks a declaration that the 2nd to 7th  defendants (all labour leaders in Enugu) cannot lawfully take part in any strike or engage in any conduct in contemplation or furtherance of any strike unless and until after they have fulfilled all conditions prescribed by law for calling such actions.

consequent on the above, the government is seeking an order of “perpetual injunction” restraining the defendants and their representatives, jointly or severally, from embarking on, or continuing in furtherance of, any strike/industrial action in violation of the provisions of section 31 (6) (a) of the Trade (Amendment) Act or an order of perpetual injunction restraining them from embarking on such action until they have fulfilled all conditions prescribed by the relevant laws.

The court had on Wednesday granted an application by the government seeking leave to serve the defendants the originating processes including the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction by publishing same in a national daily.

The Court presided over by Hon, Justice M.N Esowe, also granted the claimant’s application to abridge the period within which the Respondents are given to respond from 7 to 3 days. The matter has been adjourned to September 21,  for

hearing of the motion on notice.

Govt is economical with truth—Enugu NLC

Meanwhile, as the strike in Enugu state continued, the NLC, Enugu State Council said yesterday that the state government was being economical with the truth in the labour dispute over the full implementation of the N18,000.00 minimum wage.

This followed an earlier statement by the Enugu state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwuoke, claiming that the government had fully implemented the N18,000.00 new wage and also added N10,000.00 and N5,000.00 to the salaries of workers on grade levels 01-06 and 07 above respectively.

A statement issued by the Enugu NLC Chairman, Chief Chumaife Nze, yesterday, said that the state government had not implemented the Minimum Wage Act nor had it paid any arrears to workers of the state.S

He said: ”The government is being clever by half as it is avoiding negotiation with the organised labour to arrive at an acceptable salary chart to resolve the matter. We challenge Enugu State Government to tell the world what the N10,000.00 to workers on grade level 01-06 and N5,000.00 to workers on level 07- above stands for.”

and from where they arrived at such figure? They should explain whether the money is a dash, bonus or reward and equally show a copy of the agreement signed with the organised labour to implement the new minimum wage.

”We want to make it categorically clear , that Enugu state government has not implemented the new minimum wage law and its interpretation of the law is queer, awkward, deceitful, strange and a calculated attempt to misinform the general public,” according to the state labour chair , who added quickly that the NLC’s doors for negotiation and dialogue were open, although “the government shut its doors and foreclosed all the avenues of peaceful resolution of the crisis but embarked on cheap blackmail,” the NLC Chairman said in the one-page statement.