Ekiti workers: There’ll be total strike action Wednesday

THE leadership of organised labour in Ekiti State has directed workers in the State to join the nationwide strike declared by the national leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The labour unions have announced that workers in the country would embark on a strike beginning from midnight of Wednesday to press for the realisation of a new national minimum wage.

The workers through their leaders told newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the State capital on Tuesday that the strike action would affect both the public and private sectors.

According to Mr Ade Adesanmi of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Odunayo Adesoye of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), all categories of workers including commercial drivers, Okada operators, banks, market men and women have been directed to stay off businesses.

The TUC boss, who spoke on behalf of the labour leaders, said the strike action will be total in Ekiti, saying the body had already entered into an agreement with Civil Society Organisations to ensure its success.

He said the leadership of the labour centres in Ekiti had agreed to coalesce and ensure the success of the nationwide strike, which begins at midnight on Wednesday.

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Adesoye stated that the present Minimum wage to workers had impoverished the workforce, adding that time has come for workers to begin to savour the fruits of their labour through a package that could truly take them home.

“The strike action in Ekiti commencing from tomorrow will be total. It is going to be a total paralysis because both the public and private sectors will be affected.

“The banks, commercial drivers, Okada operators and sole business owners will participate in this strike. We have reached out to the Civil Society Organisations to ensure will mobilize for the strike.

“We are not going to shy away from picketing areas that fail to conform with our directive as given from Abuja.

“This is a fight that has to do with our collective destiny. We must ensure that our commonwealth should be evenly distributed. It shouldn’t be concentrated in the hands of a few Nigerian leaders to begin to feed fat on the nation.

“What they said they are giving us is a take home, but what we are getting cannot take us half home in the real sense of it, so we must demand a fair share of our national treasure.

“By tomorrow in Ekiti, we direct all workers in the private and public sectors to stay at home,” Adesoye directed.