Oyo Workers to Begin Indefinite Strike on Tuesday

The National Vice-Chairman of NLC, Solomon Adelegan, gave the directive after a congress held at the Labour Secretariat in Ibadan.

Adelegan said that the strike action would continue until labour’s demands were met.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among demands listed were the withdrawal of all charges leveled against seven NLC leaders by the police.

Labour also said government should immediately pay workers and pensioners their six months outstanding salaries and pensions while rescinding its decision to sell-off any public school in the state.

Also on the demand list was proper and adequate funding of the education sector, including payment of a living wage and other incentives for workers in educational institutions.

“We condemn Oyo State government’s plan to sell our public schools. Education is not a commodity but a social responsibility of the government.

I think it will be better for the state government to sell the Government Secretariat and Government House.

It is also unfortunate that the state government owes workers more than six months salaries.

In the light of all these, we order that all government activities as from Tuesday should be grounded through a “sit-at-home” action,” he said.

He added that all former correspondences and agreements signed with the state government had became null and void.

NAN reports that Waheed Olojede, the State NLC Chairman, and six other labour leaders were arraigned for organising a protest against government’s perceived move to hand over mission schools to their original owners.

The labour leaders were arrested and detained on Thursday by the Oyo State Police command on the allegation that the labour leaders destroyed some properties and beat up some government officials.

Although the labour leaders were granted bail, they were to be remanded at Agodi prison until they could meet their bail conditions.

But speaking after his release on Monday, Olojede said the campaign against the state government was in line with the fact that education was a social responsibility of government.

Olojede cautioned prospective beneficiaries of the school initiative not to “waste their money,” calling on traders to join in the campaign.

Olojede also urged workers in the state to comply with the sit-at-home order.