Fuel subsidy removal: Why Strike Must Go On – NLC
5The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) insisted that despite the Government’s recent moves to avert the nationwide strike on Monday concerning the removal of subsidy on petrol, the planned strike must go on.
This past Friday, the National Industrial Court (NIC) had passed a ruling restraining the NLC from embarking on street protests, rallies or “any other action that may be inimical to the nation’s economic affairs pending the determination of the motion on notice.”
According to the NLC:
“The issue at stake, which is the return to the N65 pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, is not an industrial dispute between Nigerians and NLC on the one hand and the FGN on the other hand. “This matter is strictly between the masses of Nigeria and President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration”.
The NLC continued:
“Firstly, this same government told NLC and Nigerians that it was consulting and that the removal of subsidy would not start so soon but it removed it suddenly.
“This was the same government which suggested that the removal may come up sometime in April this year but suddenly removed the subsidy on the very first day of the year in a rather rude manner.
“Worse minders of this administration went on the internet claiming to be privy to a meeting between the NLC and the FGN where it was agreed by labour that subsidy should go.
Nothing like that ever happened. The new level this administration has even sunken to is that it went about using some people to send telephone texts round yesterday (Friday) claiming that it has reverted to N65 for the price of PMS and, therefore, the strike by labour has been called off. That, too, is a big lie. Nothing has been called off.”
“Nigerians elected this government; this government did not elect Nigerians. Sovereignty belongs to the people” the NLC said.
The Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO), will be in charge of the coordination of the nationwide strike and mass protest beginning Monday, January 9th.
Joint secretary of LASCO, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, said “the strike would be enforced at work places, market places and others and advised Nigerians who are not part of those enforcing the strike to stay off the road to avoid molestation.”
“LASCO would not tolerate a situation whereby any filling station would open at night during the action, saying such filling station would be prone to attack, even as he advised security operatives to be on the side of the Nigerian people,” he warned.
“On Monday, the strike will be enforced at workplaces, market places, major roads and link roads. There will be protests in the neighborhoods and the protests will go on simultaneously on major roads and streets across the country,” he said.
President Jonathan in a national broadcast last night promised to slash salaries of political office holders in the executive arm. Read more about it here.
