A CIVIL society group, Socialist Labour, has congratulated the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for the planned two-day nationwide protests billed to hold on Tuesday, February 27 and Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
It also applauded the Congress, as the NLC is also addressed by activists and trade unionist, for a general strike it said has been scheduled to commence on March 2nd, 2023, and called for wider support from the civil society.
In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Comrade Biodun Olamosu, Socialist Labour said the protests and strikes have the capacity to “end our hunger if they are united and effective.”
The statement, entitled: “We Are Hungry – They Are Greedy! United Protests and Strikes Can win!” Socialist Labour urged the NLC to be more specific in it demands, in addition to adding into its corpus of demands issues such as six months’ payment of N35,000 wage award to all federal workers; payment of all salary and pension areas in states and payment of proper palliatives; reversal of tuition fee hikes and the introduction of a maximum affordable fee level; payment of all withheld salaries to ASUU and other education unions for 2022 strike, and reversal of hikes in petrol price.
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According to the statement, Socialist Labour opined that the planned strike action should continue until these demands are met.
“Socialist Labour congratulates the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for planning protests across the country for Tuesday and Wednesday this week, for an indefinite general strike from 2nd March and for calling for wider support from civil society. These strikes and protests can end our hunger if they are united and effective.
“The mass of people have suffered the largest attack on their living standards in a generation over the last nine months. This is due to direct action by the government, not their lack of money. The government increased the price of petrol, increased school fees and devalued the naira.
“In contrast, the state and Federal governments actually have more money than they know what to do with. The recent, February, FAAC meeting distributed more than 50% more oil money than in February last year. But it could have distributed twice as much! In addition, governments are collecting far more in other revenue.
“The NLC organised protests in every state capital in July 2022 in solidarity with the education workers’ strike. They can do it again this week and will be more successful if all trade union members and civil society organisations give them maximum support.
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“Socialist Labour calls on the NLC to make its demands more specific to include the following issues. The planned strike action should continue until each of these specific demands has actually been fully implemented:
“at least six months’ payments of N35k to all Federal workers
“payment of all salary and pension areas in states and payment of proper palliatives
“reversal of tuition fee hikes and the introduction of a maximum affordable fee level
“payment of all with-held salaries to ASUU and other education unions for 2022 strike
“reversal of hikes in petrol prices.
“The implementation of these demands would immediately benefit millions of workers and take their families out of poverty. They in turn would spend more money in the markets and on transport. As a result, the market women, okada drivers and other workers in the informal sector would have more money.
“We all need to act now to end our hunger. We know the Federal and state governments have plenty of money to pay for our demands in full. They immediately increased the price of petrol, devalued the naira and imposed other hardships. Why do the poor majority have to wait for our ‘palliatives’. We have to talk in a language that the corrupt politicians can understand!” the statement reads.
