The Federal government says it will no longer tolerate industrial actions that do not follow due process “particularly during the transition period of the current administration”.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, issued the warning after receiving an ‘award of excellence conferred on him by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at the 42nd annual general meeting/scientific conference of the association.
A statement released by his media aide, Olajide Oshundun, quotes the Minister as saying;
“The federal government will no longer tolerate a strike that does not pass through due process. Any group that embarks on strike will be visited with section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act (TDA), Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
It says that when a worker goes on strike, especially those on essential services, the employer can also refuse to pay compensation or wages which accompanies work done.
The due process of a strike is that social dialogue negotiation with employers should be explored first.
In the event of failure, the federal ministry of labour and employment office in the affected state or FCT should be notified and, finally, a trade dispute notice (TDN) served.”
He advised all aggrieved unions to emulate the doctors and commence proactive discussions with the federal government rather than resort to strike whenever issues arose.