NLC Strike Not in Nigerians’ Interest – Oshiomhole
Former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, has said the currently strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, is not in the best interest of Nigerians.
Concise News reported that the NLC commenced a nationwide strike action on November 14 with sister unions joining in.
Reacting, Oshiomhole, who once presided over the affairs of the union, urged the NLC leaders to rather focus on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding they signed with the FG on October 2.
“I will publicly support an action against any government that thinks that we should lament away our hunger…unfortunately, this strike is not about those issues…we have to be careful not to mix our political opinion with our responsibilities because the issues confronting workers are so many that they should become the priority,” Oshiomhole told the State House Correspondents when he emerged from closed-door talks with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
The Federal Government had on October 2 agreed to pay N35,000 to all federal workers as Wage Awards for the next six months. This was part of several agreements entered with the Labour leaders which included the provision of Compressed Natural Gas-enabled vehicles and conversion kits to ease commuting nationwide.
However, despite the MoU, the NLC embarked on strike on the orders of its President Joe Ajaero.
In further reaction, Oshiomhole said, “The federal government had granted N35,000 Wage Award. And those discussions were supposed to be for and on behalf of not only the federal government but of all workers in Nigeria, including those employed by local governments and state governments.
“Now, I would have wished that somebody in the NLC recognise that the hunger in the stomach of federal employees is not any worse than that of state or local government employees.
“If these are the issues on the table, even as a senator, I will publicly support action against any government that thinks that we should lament away our hunger…You have to be careful not to be seen as doing the bidding of a particular candidate or a political party,” he remarked.
