THE LABOUR STRIKE FOR FUEL SUBSIDY FLOPS – INNER SECRET REVEALED
In Abuja and other major cities in the country, public and private
offices, banks and markets were open. Civil servants and private employees reported for work and carried out their normal duties
with¬out harassment by their labour leaders. There were, however, no
enforcement teams of the NLC to picket organisations that flouted the
union’s strike order.
In Abuja, a team of NLC officials led by Wabba marched from the Labour
House to the Federal Secretariat and to other public establishments
within the Central Area. An unruffled Wabba told journalists that the
indefinite nationwide strike had commenced as planned.
He said the NLC went ahead with the
industrial action to ensure good governance and transparent process in
the interest of all Nigerians. According to Wabba, though the impact of
the strike was not felt as expected yesterday, Nigerians would
eventually see that NLC meant business and would not be distracted by
any government’s plot to weaken its mandate.
The NLC leader pledged the
commitment of the organised labour to continuing with the strike
irrespective of the differences between it and some of its members.
When The AUTHORITY visited some ministries, secretariats and other
parastatals in Abuja, their workers went about their normal duties as
directed by the Federal Government after its no-strike deal with the
Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joe Ajaero’s faction of the NLC.
Similarly, banks, markets and shops in the FCT were open for business.
Wabba said: “The NLC will continue to fight against anti-people
policies of the government. Labour and particularly, the NLC, has said
consistently that if policies are right, we will support them but if
government’s policies are anti-people, we will resist them. And no plot
of this government will succeed in weakening our mandate.
He assured Nigerians that the NLC would continue to stand by the people
and attack issues that would create hardship for the masses.
In Lagos, members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) belonging to
the Comrade Ayuba Wabba-led faction and civil society organisations
yesterday blocked the road leading to the Murtala Muhammed Airport
(MMA), Lagos, in a mass protest against the increase in petrol pump
price.
The road which was blocked for about six hours affected the free flow of
traffic, forcing intending air passengers to alight from the vehicles
and trek to the various terminals.
The protest came in fulfillment of the threat by the Comrade Wabba Ayuba faction of the NLC to go ahead with the national wide strike after the talks with the Federal Government broke down.
The protest came in fulfillment of the threat by the Comrade Wabba Ayuba faction of the NLC to go ahead with the national wide strike after the talks with the Federal Government broke down.
The NLC, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and
other civil society groups gathered at the roundabout close to Forte Oil
and Arik Air, where they sang solidarity songs and made anti-Federal
Government speeches regarding the hike in petrol pump price from N86 to
N145 per litre.
Speaking at the protest, the Secretary, JAF, Comrade Abiodun Aremu
stated that the strike embarked on by labour and other groups is to
resist the “wicked” increases in fuel price and electricity tariff . He
added that there was no going back on the strike brought about by the
increases in the price of fuel from N86 per litre to N145 per litre
until the federal government re-verses the pump price to the former N86
per litre.
In Enugu State, the strike flopped as both civil servants, the private sector and other business groups failed to down tools.
The AUTHORITY checks revealed that every sector of the state economy
operated effectively. Commercial buses plied their various routes,
conveying workers to their destinations whilst students and pupils went
to schools and traders displayed their wares.
Commercial banks also operated in full capacity as they attended to
customers. Government hospitals were also open while the judiciary and
the state legislature had a field day, as members of the State House of
Assembly held plenary.
The strike did not hold in Ogun State as stakeholders pulled out of it.
Our correspondent who was on the streets in the early hours of yesterday
observed that schools, banks, markets and even government
establishments and parastatals were open. Although many students of
public schools were turned back by their teachers, many other schools
opened, though with skeletal operations.
At the Ogun State Secretariat in
Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital, all the two gates were widely
open while some of the workers were at their duty posts as early as 8am.
Banks along the popular Lalubu Road
in Oke-Ilewo in Abeokuta, the state capital were also open. Workers at
the State Hospital in Ijaye were also at their duty posts while the
situation was the same at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Idi-Aba
within the state capital. At the Isabo High and Magis-trate Courts,
judges and court of¬ficials gathered but the gates were locked.
At the NLC Secretariat in Leme, the protest, which was earlier billed
to begin by 7am, could not start until 10am as members of the union were
not on ground to join the action.
The protest led by the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Akeem Ambali and
Folari Olayinka of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR)
later took over. Ambali, while addressing the press, explained that the
protest was decentralised in the state, add¬ing that the action was
taking place in all the 20 local government areas of the state.
In Imo State, most workers, especially those at the state civil
service, resumed at their duty posts before the state NLC leadership
led by Comrade Austin Chilakpu addressed them and enjoined them to
adhere to the directive of the national body.
It was a similar situation at the
Federal institutions in the state whose workers only left their
premises after they were addressed by of-ficials of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU).
Civil servants and the private sector workers in Rivers State shunned
the strike as business ac-tivities were not affected in Port Harcourt,
the state capital.
At the State Secretariat, normal work went on, though earlier in the
day, there was an attempt by the NLC to lock up the place but it was
foiled by the Head of the Civil Service, Mr. Rufus Godwin, who ordered
that the major gates to the secretariat be opened for normal business.
Reacting to the failed strike, the state chairman of the TUC, Chika
Onuegbu described it as a “tragedy” and a “minus” for the labour
movement.
In Anambra State, the workers came to work but did not enter their
offices at the State Secretariat. The banks in the complex were closed.
Business activities were halted in the industrial town of Nnewi over
fear of the strike by the labour union, but when there were no threats
from any quarters, businesses were opened. The staffers of Nnamdi
Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) were also on duty and
attended to patients.
In Awka, the state capital, government offices were locked up even
though workers were await-ing further directives but nobody addressed
them.
Leaders of the ASUU from Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu Ojuk-wu University, who earlier sent text messages to members
to attend a rally at the Alex Ekwueme Square, discovered that the area
was locked and a few security patrol vehicles were stationed there.
The Federal Government had on Tuesday declared the strike illegal.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal
urged Nigerians to go about their businesses without fear of
molestation.
Lawal, who briefed pressmen at the
end of consultation with labour leaders on Tuesday night, said security
forces had been mandated to deal with anyone trying to cause trouble.
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