Oct 3 strike: LP backs organised labour, as anxiety mounts
…Says Tinubu’s govt punishing workers for voting their choice at election
By Moses Adeniyi
As the organised labour gears up to embark on an indefinite strike in protest against what it described as anti-people policies by the President Bola Tinubu led Federal Government, anxiety has mounted up regarding the planned action.
The Organised Labour had threatened an indefinite strike following the hardship that has trailed the removal of subsidy payment on premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol.
With the planned strike action, suspense has further built up even as the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday threw its weight of support behind the planned industrial action of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), saying the presidency has been insensitive to the plight of Nigerian workers.
The organised Labour threatened to ground activities nationwide from October 3 following the failure of the government to successfully implement policies to alleviate the sufferings of the masses after the removal of fuel subsidy.
After the 21-day ultimatum given by the NLC lapsed last week, the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, had lamented that none of the demands put before the Federal Government was addressed.
Among other things, the NLC and the TUC are asking for wage awards, implementation of palliatives, tax exemptions and allowances to public sector workers and a review of the minimum wage.
In a statement on Wednesday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh titled ‘Workers strike: Labour Party identifies with Nigerian workers’ the Labour Party bemoaned that Nigerian workers have shown enough patience and understanding.
While charging supporters of the party to stock up on food, the party warned that the leadership of LP will support any legitimate means to demand better welfare for Nigerian workers.
The party said, “We have followed with keen interest, in the last four months, various meetings between Organised Labour and various government bodies including the president of the Senate, the presidency and the ministers of Labour as well as all the efforts made by the Labour leadership to get the government to understand the magnitude of sufferings its policies have thrown Nigerian workers into since the enthronement of this administration.
“We are not in any way surprised at the government’s apparent indifference, insensitivity, intransigence, and recalcitrant posture towards the genuine demands of the Labour bodies because their usurpation of power was not sanctioned by both the workers and generality of Nigerians.
“Nigerians went to the polls with clear conviction of the government they wanted but this was denied them through institutional conspiracy. Today, Nigerian workers are being punished for taking a stand during the February 25 Presidential Election. Labour Party is also aware of the sordid conditions which workers, the majority of them being our members, are subjected to, where many go to the office on a Monday and are forced by the prevailing economic challenges to sleep in their offices all through to Friday before returning home.
“We are also using this medium to inform all our members and supporters to stock their homes with their necessary needs ahead of a long-drawn mass action until victory is ascertained. No retreat, no surrender.”
Series of meeting by the Government with the leadership of the organised labour have not yielded the expected results to shelve aside the plans. Efforts by the Government to convince labour from the plans have not succeeded, as the latter has lamented the Government has failed to honour its demands.
Recall the Federal Government had about a week on Wednesday, 20th September, said threats of the NLC to embark on the action would not be in favour of the workers.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, had said that the proposed strike by the NLC, which is expected to commence if the government fails to attend to their demands will not be in the interest of workers.
The SGF while fielding questions from State House correspondents after meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, had said he was optimistic that issues concerning the strike would be addressed amicably.
Akume who called on the organised labour to be patient as the government finds a solution to their demands, had said, “The Labour leaders are very patriotic Nigerians and we want to believe correctly that nobody would want to have a strike at this time of our history because it is not in the interest of the workers and it is not in the interest of anybody.
“This government is very determined to raise the standard of living of the Nigerian workers and to create prosperity for all and that is not something that can be done overnight. So, it will be inappropriate to begin to judge the government on the basis of the few months that it has spent in office.”
On his part, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong had said that the government will continue to discuss with the labour for a harmonious relationship.
“We have come to discuss with the issues we discussed and also follow up. The President is not around and many of the issues, we will continue to discuss with the Vice President so that there will be smooth, harmonious relationship with the labour,” he had said.
On whether there is any hope concerning the deadline for indefinite strike by the organised labour, he had said, “No, no, no! As for me I don’t think there is any problem. We have fully spent time with the Nigerian labour and posture of the President too is towards welfare and prosperity for workers.
“We have no doubt and that’s why many of the meetings we have with them we are not ending up boxing ourselves, we smile, all.of is. We hope that the best is going to come.”
On what Nigerians should expect on the indefinite strike, he said, “Don’t worry about that. That’s why I said it’s a friendly engagement we are doing with them. We don’t have any fears about some of the things they put and also the suggestions and the package of the Federal Government.”
Recall NewsDirect had reported how that the meeting held, barely two weeks, between the Federal Government and the NLC ended in deadlock without clear direction on cancellation of the strike.
The declaration of the indefinite strike by NLC is trailing a warning strike which held two days across the nation, on Tuesday, September 05 and Wednesday, September 06.
Barely a week after leading the two-day nationwide warning strike, the NLC again threatened to embark on an indefinite strike should the Federal Government fail to meet its demands at the end of a 21-day ultimatum which expired last week.
According to the NLC, the proposed strike was necessary following the failure of the Federal Government to provide palliatives to assuage the hardship of Nigerians as a result of the fuel subsidy removal.
The NLC which had on September 01, 2023 handed down a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over the delay in sharing of palliatives, had said it might be compelled to embark on an indefinite labour action if appropriate responses from the government were not taken.
