The Joint National Executive Council of the two leading labour unions which declared the strike - the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) suspended the strike on Wednesday. The NLC, TUC and their affiliates had declared the strike against the background of the attack on the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on 1 November.
The unions accused the Imo State government and the police in the state of sponsoring thugs and giving them a cover to brutalise Mr Ajaero. The NLC president was attacked and brutalised while preparing to lead a protest against the Imo State government over alleged non-payment of civil servants’ salaries for months and inhumane treatment of some government workers in the state. In their demand list which they released Wednesday, the labour unions demanded that justice be done with respect to Mr Ajaero’s attack for the strike to be called off