Senator representing Edo North Senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate, Adams Oshiomhole has insisted that the assault suffered by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, was not enough reason for labour unions to go on a nationwide strike.
While speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Oshiomole argued that the assault on the NLC president did not warrant workers in other states to down tools.
“Our basic procedure in labour when you talk of solidarity is that when an employer in this case Imo state government as an employer, if they are seen to responsible for what has happened, you can mobilize the people, and if the people agree that what the state government did is wrong then you can direct them to down tools and limit it to the employer involved, you cannot ask workers in Lagos who have no problem with their governor to disrupt services in Lagos, workers in Rivers who have no problems with their governor to disrupt services in Rivers,” Oshiomhole said.
“The basis of solidarity is that where an employer has erred and workers are determined to fight him, they will be given the support to fight, it is when they are overwhelmed and the employer is not responding that you will call for solidarity action, so nationwide strike is not a tea party because those involved in it they are not doing it out of fun, because those who are going to suffer more are very orderly people, so when you do it, you do it because you have been pushed to the wall. Whereas i condemn in strong terms whoever is responsible for the attack on the NLC president, I do not think that that in itself is enough, giving the other problems that are pending that i believe NLC has not addressed, I do not think that you should plunge the whole country at once on general strike,” he added.
Naija News recalls that the labour union on Tuesday embarked on a nationwide action over the treatment meted on its president during the union’s protest in Imo.
The union is demanding that the perpetrators of the heinous act be brought to book.
