A Civil Society Organisation, CSO, operating under the aegis of Civil Society and Workers Dialogue Forum (CSWDF), has expressed its opposition to the planned strike of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, stating that the unions’ actions are “sabotage” and “deliberate mischief”.
The CSO disclosed this in a joint statement issued on Thursday in Abuja and signed by its convener, Abubakar Ibrahim, and co-conveners, Bashir Faisal and Rafiu Shaibu.
The CSO criticized the unions for not taking into consideration their role in the ongoing dialogue with the Federal Government concerning the removal of fuel subsidies.
They urged the unions to be more considerate of the potential consequences of their actions, especially given the hardships faced by Nigerians.
The CSO acknowledged the challenges faced by the citizens and highlighted that the Federal Government had implemented strategic measures to rehabilitate refineries, thereby reducing the costs associated with importing petroleum and gas.
Furthermore, they emphasized that the recent distribution of N5 billion worth of palliatives to each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is part of the government’s efforts to mitigate the difficulties faced by the people.
They stressed that no government, anywhere in the world, derives pleasure from the suffering of its citizens.
“The wage increase of workers is being negotiated with NLC constituting membership of the committee, hence, we are appalled at what the proposed strike intended to achieve.
“As opposed to the past, the NLC has always been on the negotiation table before any decision was taken by this administration.
“We recalled that in June this year, the Union was in talks with the FG over fuel subsidy removal without carrying other stakeholders along, which we protested our exclusion.
“Having agreed with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, only for the workers Union to recant and propose an indefinite strike is counter-productive and we will mobilise our members across the 36 States and FCT for anti-NLC protest.
“This statement should serve as official notice to the Director of State Service DSS, IGP and other security agencies, that we are going to mobilise to streets against NLC on 3rd October, 2023,” the CSO stressed.
The group recalled that some states have purchased buses for public transportation and have also added funds to the federal government’s offer to them, insisting that the proposed strike was inappropriate.
It, therefore, called on citizens not to avail themselves to be used against the genuine interest of the government.