The Chairman of the Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Saheed Murtala Olayinka, has directed workers in the state to sit at home in response to the nationwide strike declared by the national leadership of the body.
In a phone chat with DAILY POST in Ilorin on Tuesday morning, Olayinka said, “it is a total strike in the state and workers have been directed to sit at home.”
He explained that the monitoring of the strike would be strategic because “we don’t want anyone of the union leaders to be arrested by the authorities.”
A DAILY POST correspondent who went around Ilorin, the state capital, observed that pupils and students of public schools were sent back, though some private schools shut their gates, while few were open.
Government offices were also deserted by workers as the indefinite strike entered its first day.
Divergent reactions have, however, trailed the strike as those against and in support expressed different views.
Afolabi Okunlola, a retired local government staff in the state, condemned the strike action and argued that the labour movement ought to have gone for appeal after the ruling by the National Industrial Court or dialogue with the Federal Government instead of disregarding the court order.
He explained that the Imo State assault on the NLC president was not the main reason behind the strike action but the failure of the Federal Government to honour the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, entered into with the labour union following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
Also reacting, another retired staff of the state broadcasting corporation, Mr Shola, said he would have preferred dialogue to resolve issues between the two parties because of the hardship the strike action could have on the masses generally.
In her reaction, a female staff of a state Ministry in Ilorin, who preferred anonymity, argued that the strike action was necessary because the government at both state and national levels were not getting it right.
She complained that the work meant to be done by civil servants were being contracted to consultants to the detriment of the system.
National leadership of the labour movement in the country declared the nationwide strike beginning on Tuesday in reaction to the assault allegedly inflicted on the National President, Joe Ajaero, while in Imo State to fight for the welfare of workers.
The NLC alleged that the workers in the state were being owed 31-month salaries while thousands were classified and declared as ghost workers, according to a statement defending the strike action.
However, in the course of the struggle for the workers rights and welfare, Ajaero was assaulted and hospitalized in the state.
