We Have Ordered Our Workers to Join Strike, State NLC, TUC Say

Following the declaration of a two-day warning strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress, some state chapters of the organised labour union have expressed their readiness to join the industrial action.

The leadership of the state chapters of the labour unions, in separate interviews with The Punch, said they have ordered their members to join the warning strike which is scheduled to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 5 and 6, 2023.

Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, the Chairman, NLC Lagos chapter, Mrs Agnes Sessi, said Lagos NLC would join the nationwide strike.

“We are under the authority of our national leadership and whatever is decided at the national level is binding on us. So, yes, we are joining the strike,” Sessi affirmed.

The Sokoto State NLC chairman, Abdullahi Jungle, also told The PUNCH that the union in the state would mobilise members of the union in the state to join the two-day warning strike.

The chairman said members of the council are due for a meeting on Sunday on the modalities.

“Yes, we are joining the strike as we are already mobilising our members for the strike.

“We are holding a meeting today on how to go about it, but I can assure you that we will join the strike,” Jungle said.

The Kano State chapter of the NLC has said it will join the planned warning strike and protest called by the national body of the union.

The state NLC chairman, Kabiru Inuwa, who made the declaration in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, said the decision to go on the warning strike was taken during the National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

“We are going to hold our State Executive Council meeting today (Sunday) around 3pm to finalise the arrangements for the commencement of the warning strike on Tuesday.

“So, we are going to join the strike as directed by the national headquarters of our union because we attended the NEC where the decision was reached,” Inuwa said.

Also, the Ekiti State chapter of the NLC said its members would join the two-day warning strike declared by the national leadership of the union.

The state chairman, Kolapo Olatunde, said members in Ekiti State would join the two-day warning strike if the Federal Government did not do the needful to avert it.

Olatunde, who said members in Ekiti State already had the communication from the national body on the matter, said, “If the needful is not done before then, we have to mobilise members for it.

“There is correspondence towards the decision, there is communique to that effect from the national, that is already with our members. It is a collective decision.”

Similarly, the General Secretary of the NLC in Gombe State, Ibrahim Fika, said they had received notice of the strike, adding that they would join.

Fika disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday.

According to him, the union in the state will only mobilise by Monday after its State Executive Council meeting.

He said, “This is national. Even if we don’t mobilise, the industrial union headquarters will mobilise them. But for us in Gombe State, we will possibly have our State Executive meeting on Monday because we just returned from Abuja on Friday and today is the weekend.

“I’m very sure the headquarters will communicate to them but nevertheless, we will have our SEC meeting on Monday so that immediately, which is the next day, we will go for action,” Fika added.

The Niger State chapter of the NLC said had gone into a crucial meeting with all its affiliate bodies.

When our correspondent got to the Labour House office of the council located on the IBB Road, around 3pm on Sunday, a worker at the gate said the members had gone into a crucial meeting preparatory to the warning strike.

He confirmed that the leadership of almost all the affiliate bodies were in attendance, including the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Medical and Health Workers Union, Hotel Workers Union, unions of the tertiary institutions as well as civil service unions, among others.

The PUNCH had earlier contacted the Niger State Secretary of the NLC, Mohammed Salihu, on the telephone asking about the plans the State Council had for the warning strike. He declined response saying that it was only the chairman that had the powers to speak on the strike.

The secretary later called to inform our correspondent that the strike would still be held as planned but there would be a press conference today (Monday) to present the modalities.

Also, the Bauchi State Chapter of the NLC has said that it has been informed of the strike by its National Secretariat and is prepared to join.

The State NLC chairman, Comrade Shu’aibu Dauda, stated this in a telephone interview with The Punch on Sunday.

The Punch