The National Industrial Court has asked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to suspend its planned strike.
Babatunde Adejumo, president of the court, gave the order on Tuesday.
Ruling on an exparte application filed by Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Adejumo ordered parties to maintain the status quo until the hearing and determination of the exparte motion.
He also directed the government to dialogue with the NLC towards an amicable resolution of their dispute.
The case was adjourned to May 24.
Last week, labour asked the federal government to reverse the price of petrol within three days or face an indefinite industrial action.
At the end of a joint meeting between the Nigeir Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Saturday, the unions advised Nigerians to stockpile food and staples to prepare for a showdown with the government.
On Monday, a government delegation met with labour leaders to prevent the strike from holding, but the meeting ended in stalemate.