Oyo NLC Embarks On Indefinite Strike

NLCThe National Headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in conjunction with the Oyo State Chapter on Monday ordered workers in the state to begin an indefinite strikeā€Ž from today (Tuesday).
The action followed the release yesterday of seven labour leaders in the state, who were detained last Friday on the orders of the Oyo Government.
According to the National Vice Chairman of NLC, Comrade Solomon Adelegan, who addressed a press briefing after a congress held at the labour secretariat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the strike action would continue until the underlisted demands are met.ā€Ž
Their listed demands includes, ā€Immediate withdrawal of all trump-up charges leveled against the incarcerated labour leaders, Government must rescind its decision to sell-off any public schools in the state, Proper and adequate funding of the education sector including payment of living wages and other incentive for educational workers and Immediate Payment of 6 months outstanding salaries and all pension arrearsā€Ž withdrawal of all trump-up charges leveled against the incarcerated labour leadersā€.
Mr. Adelegan alleged that the Oyo Government early hours of Monday, mobilized hundreds of armed thugs to invade the Iyaganku Magistrate Court with the aim of attacking innocent and law abiding workers, who were at the court to ensure that the bail conditions granted the incarcerated labour leaders were perfected.
ā€œConsequently, our members were beaten, harassed and intimated by these gangs of armed thugsā€, he claimed.
According to the labour leader, ā€œThis is a deliberate attempt to scare the workers away from the court premises with a view to frustrate the perfection of the bail conditions and ensure that our leaders continue to be incarcerated. It is also disheartening to state that students who also stormed the court premises in a protest against an attempt to sell off their schools to a handful of capitalist profiteers in the state were also tear gas by members of the Nigeria Police force.
ā€œā€ŽWe of the NLC, Oyo State council absolutely condemned this dastard and uncivilised approach of Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led government, at the same time, remain undaunted and no amount of persecution and intimidation is capable to deter us in the struggle to resist the sale of any of the public schools in the stateā€.
ā€œTherefore, we call on the general public not to hesitate to hold Senator Ajimobi solely responsible should Oyo State be plunged into a state of uncontrollable anarchy as a result of his crude and uncivilised method of mobilising thugs and use of military force to silence the opposition voice against the anti-people plan to sell some leading secondary schools in the state under the pretence of private public partnership, PPPā€, Adelegan warned.
Meanwhile, the Oyo NLC has urged workers in the state to comply with the sit-at-home order until all the aforementioned demands are met by the state government.