“We urge the labour leaders to have a rethink about disobeying court orders and going ahead with the proposed strike action, and not when it is politically motivated by the same set of politicians who through their actions and inactions while in office worsened the plight of Nigerian workers," the statement read.
As labour unions finalise plans to hold a nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the Network for Accountability and Transparency Crusade, has accused the labour unions of politicising the matter by embarking on the industrial action.
The workers are demanding N30,000 as minimum wage, against the N22,500 offered by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). [story_link align="left"]64469[/story_link]
In a statement issued on Sunday, the group said it was aware that the Federal Government has put forward a tangible explanation on why the N30,000 demanded by the workers isn't feasible and urged the labour unions return to the negotiation table.
Roland Giwa, National Coordinator of the group who signed the statement, asked the organised labour unions to respect the court order halting the proposed strike.
The statement read: "The organised labour in Nigeria has been known to stand for truth. They have been known to protect the interest of workers in general and not a select few. At the risk of portraying the organised labour in Nigeria as a dictatorial organisation, and one with contempt for the rule of law, the labour leaders at the negotiating table should not allow the smell of filthy enticement make them lose their sense of dignity and that of the millions of workers that they represent.
“The Nigerian workers have been subjected to untold hardship over the years, and to think that the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari has introduced measures towards alleviating their hardship should be commended and encouraged instead.
“We urge the labour leaders to have a rethink about disobeying court orders and going ahead with the proposed strike action, and not when it is politically motivated by the same set of politicians who through their actions and inactions while in office worsened the plight of Nigerian workers."