The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday warned that if government failed to enforce N49 per litre of petroleum nationwide, it would be forced to call workers to embark on strike.
NLC counsel, Mr Femi Falana told a panel of Appeal Court Justices, hearing an appeal by labour on the judgement of the federal high court which banned NLC from embarking on strike.
Falana said field reports on the implementation of the downward price regime, indicated that government was not sincere with the announced price cut which made the NLC to suspend the nationwide strike.
He said that NLC has raised a monitoring team adding that its next line of action would be predicated upon its finding.
However, before the appeal could be heard, government counsel, Mr Seeni Okunloye (SAN) filed a motion on notice seeking to restrain the NLC from embarking on strike and to enforce Justice Roseline Ukeje’s judgement which banned the strike.
Falana responding to the application said that workers have the right to protest against any government’s policy they were dissatisfied with.
He said that section 40 of the 1999 constitution stipulated that workers have the right to assemble freely.
He argued that the trade dispute Act had already stated the punishment for going on strike, thus, he said would be the forfeiture of the affected worker’s salary, saying that it was not illegal to go on strike.
He said, “what the law says while is that government would maintain law and order while the strike lasts. Strike is an expression of the freedom of expression which is guaranteed by the const-itution.”
Falana argued that wor-kers only ceased to enjoy their fundamental rights when a state of emergency is declared.
Earlier, counsel to the FGN, Mr Okunloye said that NLC has no right to embark on strike after the judgement of Justice Roseline Ukeje which was still in force.
He argued that until that judgement was set aside, NLC was duty bound to obey it, saying that after the judgement had been delivered, NLC had been making pronouncements that amounted to sheer disregard to the ruling.
He cited the issuance of fresh notice to go on strike as an example of the disobedience to the September 21, 2004 judgement banning it from any such steps with regard to increase in prices of petroleum.
Justice Tanko Yusuf who presided over the case said that judgement would be delivered in December on a date to be communicated to the parties.
Meanwhile, oil marketers in Abuja and some parts of the country are yet to adjust the pump price to N49 per litre as directed by the federal government.
However, the NNPC mega station in Abuja had yesterday complied with the directive, a development which led to long queue of motorists.
Our correspondent who went round Abuja reports that major marketers such as Oando, Conoil, Total among others still sell at old prices of between N53 and N54.50 kobo per litre.
Similarly, filling stations in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital and its environs continued to sell petrol at the old price in defiance of the federal government’s directive.
Some of the petrol attendants who spoke to Daily Trust claimed not to have received directive from the man-agement to revert to old price.
Motorists and commercial motorcycle operators popularly known as Okada have expressed concern over the refusal of filling stations to comply with government directive to revert to forty nine naira price earlier announced.
They blamed the major oil marketers for the incessant increase in the prices of petroleum products which they said was responsible for the current hardship being faced by majority of Nigerians and urged the federal government and law enforcement agencies to bring erring marketers to book.
Also of concern to the people of Lokoja and environ was the sudden hike in the price of sachet water popularly known as “Pure Water” from five to ten naira.
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