The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in conjunction with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), had announced that they would embark on strike on Tuesday, January 31st 2023 over their unpaid check-off dues and cooperative deductions by the Seyi Makinde-led government.
The Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR) and Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Oyo State chapters have queued behind the organised Labour in the state over its planned strike action.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in conjunction with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), had announced that they would embark on strike on Tuesday, January 31st 2023 over their unpaid check-off dues and cooperative deductions by the Seyi Makinde-led government.
In a joint statement signed by SPN State Secretary, Ayodeji Adigun, and CDWR State Coordinator, Abiodun Bamigboye, the organisations commended the organised labour for proposing the strike action.
They urged all workers and union leaders to be steadfast in the struggle.
The statement read, “The Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, CDWR and Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, Oyo State Chapters, welcome the joint decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, Oyo State, to embark on strike on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 over the unpaid checkoff dues and cooperative deductions by the Engr. Seyi Makinde-led government in the State.
“According to the media report, no fewer than five months check-off dues and cooperative deductions which are statutory components of the salaries meant to be earned by Oyo state workers were reportedly deducted without any concrete evidence and record of their remittance to either the unions or the cooperative societies.
“We condemn in its totality this kind of a shameful and unhealthy practice which is more or less a day light robbery of workers in the State of certain proportion of their monthly salaries. This apparently implies that Engr. Seyi Makinde-led government failed to pay workers their full monthly salaries for almost half of a year.
“It is also our belief that the unhealthy practice is an indictment on the integrity of Engr. Seyi Makinde-led government in Oyo State and this therefore affirms our earlier position that the regime like its predecessors is never a friend of labour. This revelation has further made a mockery of the so called prompt payment of salary on the 25th of every month which we strongly believe is just propaganda and not meant to uplift the living condition of the mass of workers in the state.
“It is in the light of this that we support the joint decision of NLC, TUC and JNC to embark on strike, should Engr. Seyi Makinde-led government refuse to pay the unremitted check-off dues and cooperative deductions on or before 31st January, 2023.
“However, we call on the leadership of the three trade union Centres to consider the urgent need to convene the congress of mass of the workers in the State. This will not only help to mobilise the rank and file of workers in the State for an active participations in the planned action but will also create an avenue for a discussion to secure a democratic agreement over what should be the character and duration of the strike action.
“We also note and welcome the appeal made by the three trade union centres to the state government not to penalise any worker who reports late to work as a result of the current nationwide artificial scarcity of petrol and hike in its pump price which has undoubtedly increased the levels of hardship the mass of Nigerian working people are going through at this present time.
“However, we are of a strong opinion that a similar appeal should also be jointly made to the National leadership of NLC, TUC and JNC on the urgent need to commence the immediate process of mobilising the mass of working people across the country for a 48hour general strike and mass action to protest against the current scarcity of petrol and hike in its pump price, excruciating poverty condition, general insecurity and the rising cost of goods and services.
“We also hold that such a nationwide action should be used as an opportunity to commence the process for the formation of a mass working people’s political party armed with socialist programs. This is because only a government formed by such a pro-working people political party has the capacity to resolve all of the multifaceted socio-economic crisis that the mass of the working people are facing today.”