The National Industrial Court, Abuja, has adjourned to? Feb. 22 a suit filed by the Attorney-General of Enugu State against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and six congress officials asking them to call off the current strike by workers.
The six offcials of the state council of the NLC are Messrs Chumaife Nze, A.I. Chime, Igbokwe Chukwuma, Ikechukwu Ekere, C.S. Onah and Theophilus Obasiani.
The counsel to the defendants, Mr Anthony Itidjere, said that his clients had been asked by the state government to call off the strike sometime in September 2011, explaining that the strike was called to protest the non-implementation of the National Minimum Wage.
Itidjere said the N18, 000 minimum wage was not effected in the salaries of all the workers but was rather effected in the wages of employees who received below N18, 000 a month.
He said the state government had not been following the Federal Government's mode of payment of the minimum wage and had designed its own but had not been implementing it.
The counsel also told the court that the state government was not ready to negotiate with the workers.
Mr Sam Orji, the counsel to the plaintiff, however, prayed the court to transfer the case to the Enugu Judicial Division of the court for the convenience of both the plaintiff and defendants since most of them were carrying out their businesses in Enugu.
Itidjere objected, saying that his clients would prefer the matter to go on in Abuja.
He prayed the court to strike out the suit seeking the transfer of the case to Enugu for lack of competence.
The presiding judge, Justice Maureen Esowe, adjourned the case to Feb. 22 for ruling on the issue of transfer.
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