From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would be embarking on a national protest against the current strike action by university workers due to federal government’s failure to honour agreement reached with the unions.
The Congress made this known in a Communique issued on Thursday after the meeting of its Central Working Committee (CWC) held in Abuja on Wednesday.
In the Communique jointly signed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja, the Congress further said it world embark on a 3-days nationwide warning strike action in solidarity with the university based unions and with Nigerian students if the Federal Government still fails to resolve the industrial crises in Nigeria’s universities at the end of the national protest and the 21-days ultimatum it earlier gave.
“On the ongoing strike action by unions in Nigerian universities, the CWC resolved as follows: All affiliates of the NLC are to issue public statements condemning the intermittent strike actions in Nigeria’s universities particularly the current one which has gone on for about two months;
“Within the span of the subsisting 21-days ultimatum given by Congress, the NLC will hold national protests against the current strike action affecting students of Nigeria’s public universities and occasioned by government’s failure to honour agreement reached with trade unions in our universities. The protest is to draw the attention of government to the inherent catastrophe in the emerging culture of Social Apartheid in our society especially as marked by prolonged lockout of students from working class and poor homes from our public universities while the children of the rich continue their academic pursuits uninterrupted; and
“If at the end of the national protest and the 21-days ultimatum, the Federal Government still fails to resolve the industrial crises in Nigeria’s universities, the Congress would be left with no other option than to embark on a 3-days nationwide warning strike action in solidarity with our affiliates in the universities and with Nigerian students whose future and wellbeing are being robbed.
“The CWC felicitates with workers on the commemoration of the 2022 International Workers Day and promise to communicate to workers if there are any changes to the date of the 2022 May Day.” The communique said.