Tuesday strike action stands, no agreement with Tinubu, NLC says  

 

The planned indefinite strike for October 3rd has not been cancelled, according to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which claims it has not reached an agreement with the federal government.

Head of Information and Public Affairs of NLC, Benson Upah, reportedly announced this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He was responding to a statement that Olajide Oshundun, the ministry’s director of press and public relations, was purported to have made.

To further hammer home their demands, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced an indefinite strike starting on Tuesday at the conclusion of the joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

Inconsistencies in the statement, according to Mr. Upah, include the proposed strike and the illegal occupation of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) secretariat.

“Accordingly, we find it necessary to make clarifications. Firstly, we do not have any agreement with the government to suspend the planned strike action. Neither do we have any date for a meeting with the government that may lead to the suspension of the proposed strike.

“While we do not intend to demean or minimise the office of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, this matter is beyond the ministry.

“This should have been obvious to them during our most recent meeting,” he added.

He, therefore, commended the role played by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, in securing the release of the executives of the NURTW from illegal police detention.

Mr Upah added: “We take exception to the ministry describing these executives as factional leaders.

“They were lawfully elected into office. We still find it necessary to advise the police and those elements behind their travails to desist from this despicable and shameful conduct.

“They are advised to retrace their steps. If democracy is to be of meaning to us, then we should resist the urge or temptation for impunity. Enough is enough.”