NLC resumes strike next week
From Segun Ayeoyenikan, Abuja
A MEETING of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the unresolved crisis of the new prices for petroleum products decided last night to resume its suspended strike next week.
A forthnight ago, the NLC suspended its four-day warning strike which took the form of a stay-at-home protest.
The NLC's decision yesterday followed the Federal Government's apparent failure to shift ground from the N54 per litre for petrol and other new prices for petroleum products even at the expiration of a two-week suspension of protests by the NLC.
The new prices took effect on September 23 this year.
The NEC meeting began in the early hours of yesterday and continued till 3 p.m. before it broke off to reconvene at 4 p.m.
As at 8 p.m., however, the meeting had not reconvened, even though the NLC's President, Adams Aliu Oshiomhole said it would go on.
Oshiomhole had to put off the NEC session because the Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu-led committee on cushioning the effect of fuel price increases was scheduled to meet at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Oshiomhole is a member of the committee. Although he refused to disclose the outcome of the Mantu committee's parley, he said he would brief the NLC NEC meeting before disclosing it to journalists.
According to Oshiomhole, ''one thing is sure, that whether or not there would be a fresh strike has to be a collective decision of both the NEC of the NLC and 29 affiliate unions which are under the umbrella body of NLC''.
Reacting to appeals by some religious groups that a fresh strike called by NLC will hamper the smooth conduct of Ramadan fast, he said: ''Ramadan fast or Holy Quran does not prevent people from demanding their rights.
"I've not seen it in the Holy Quran where it was an abomination for the people to fight oppression during the month of Ramadan.
"If the government had been considerate enough, it would have realised that adding more money to fuel would have rather made Ramadan fast harder for the people.
"We will not be swayed by the sentiments which the government is now using in order to divide the people."
The NLC President explained that he personally believed that the period of Ramadan after all was a time for abstinence.
Even as at 10 p.m. yesterday night, the NLC's NEC meeting continued at the Labour House.
Oshiomhole insisted that the decision to go on strike or not was expected to be part of the decision to be taken by the NEC.
"Civil society organisations also will be consulted before taking the final decision'', he said.`
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