Civil society group slams Osun NLC over strike

A civil society organisation in Osun state, the World Institute for Peace (WIP), has slammed the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the three-day warning strike it embarked upon.

The NLC chairperson, Christopher Arapasopo, and secretary, Victor Amusan, in a press release collectively issued weekend, directed the affiliate unions to affix a three-day sympathy strike in solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) over the continued withholding of native authorities allocations within the state.

Reacting to the directives at a press convention in Osogbo, Monday, WIP govt director, Lamina Omotoyosi, described the strike as “politically motivated, barbaric, and needless.”

 Omotoyosi posited that the Monday strike was misleading and a deliberate try to floor the state’s financial system and set off civil unrest.

“We don’t have any reservation in concluding that the strike is being embarked upon in dangerous religion and is politically motivated, with the intention of blackmailing the judiciary and making a potential environment of anarchy within the polity.

 “This position is informed by the trajectory of the local government crisis in Osun state and the plethora of litigations surrounding local government administration,” Omotoyosi mentioned.

The group mentioned the labour motion is predicted to function a fountain of data, a voice for employees, and an advocate for the downtrodden.

“Labour unions are anticipated to be populated by folks with a sound information of the legislation and judicial processes. This ought to replicate of their strategy to delicate points equivalent to the continued native authorities disaster in Osun state, notably when the matter remains to be pending earlier than a number of courts of competent jurisdiction.

“Unfortunately, the reverse appears to be the case in Osun state, where the movement appears to have chosen political patronage over honesty, integrity, and the general interest of workers,” Omotoyosi added.