CSOs in Delta chide labour over strike suspension

Visibly angry coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Delta State, on Monday, chided the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for suspending its planned nationwide industrial action billed for today Monday, September 28.

TribuneOnline reports that in spite of the botched planned strike action, the CSOs still held a peaceful protest rally at the Ebrumede roundabout in Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.

The CSOs, which registered their disappointment and dissociation from the cancelled strike action, condemned the hike in petrol and electricity tariff.

They also flayed the National Water Resources Bill pending before the National Assembly, which they termed “Government’s Anti-People Policies.”

On of the rights activists and legal practitioner, Mr Omemiroro Maxwell Ogedegbe Esq. described the botched strike action as unfortunate and a sell-out.

“We know the Politics in NLC. It is unfortunate. We do not have a functional NLC. We are saying it, the Nigerian people, we reject the position of the NLC. We are not in alliance with the NLC,” he noted.

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Another human rights activist, Comrade Israel Joe, also in a chat with journalists, expressed dissatisfaction at the development.

“For NLC to jettison the protest and suspend the strike action, we have mobilized and prepared for, I think we are dissatisfied with the positions of the NLC.

“We are not happy with the NLC’s decisions because they don’t know what it takes to pay for darkness.

“They don’t know what it takes for the common man to put fuel in the generator to run his barbing salon.

“That’s why we as CSOs of Delta State are coming out to make our positions to Federal Government that they must look into the electricity tariff hike, the fuel hike, the Water Resources Bill and see a better way to reverse these prices to ameliorate the sufferings of the Nigerian people,” he pleaded.

Mr Kelvin Ejumudo, another member of the CSOs, who requested the hike in electricity tariff and fuel pump be reduced, disclosed that spending N2,000 a day on fuelling generating set would amount to about N66,000 a month, which is unbearable.

The labour unions had, early Monday morning, suspended its planned strike action over the hike in petrol and electricity tariff in the country after an agreement was reached.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE