The Senate has recently passed a resolution, calling upon the organized labour to put an end to the ongoing national strike in the best interest of the country.
This decision comes as a result of the adoption of a motion titled “The Need for NLC to Reconsider its Stand on the Ongoing Strike,” which was presented by Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti) during a plenary session on Wednesday.
In his presentation, Sen. Bamidele highlighted that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Academic Staff Union of Universities, and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, among other unions, commenced a nationwide strike on November 14.
He further noted that the strike is linked to the alleged assault on the President of the NLC during an electioneering campaign in Imo state.
Sen. Bamidele expressed concern that many of the labour’s demands were not centred on the welfare of Nigerian workers but rather stemmed from the perceived political involvement of the President, who hails from Imo state.
He also highlighted that the State Commissioner of Police confirmed the occurrence of police brutality against the NLC President during the political campaign in the state.
Supporting the motion, Sen. Adamu Alero (PDP-Kebbi) emphasized the Senate’s responsibility to intervene in order to safeguard the nation’s economy. He deemed the Senate’s involvement as timely, considering the unfortunate incident in Imo state involving the alleged brutality of the NLC President.
Adding to the discussion, Sen. Adams Oshiomole (APC-Edo) voiced his longstanding commitment to labour issues and condemned the police brutality against labour unionists. He revealed that he himself had been a victim of police brutality during his time as an NLC leader.
Sen. Oshiomole stressed the Senate’s obligation to exhaust all possible avenues to achieve an amicable resolution to the current labour crisis. He urged the Senate to intervene with Federal and State Governments to ensure the implementation of agreements reached with the NLC and TUC, particularly regarding the implementation of the N35,000 minimum wage award by State Governments. – NAN
