NLC to Kwara Govt: We’ll continue strike until our demands are met

By Mumini AbdulKareem and Mike Adeyemi
The chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Kwara State chapter, Issa Ore has said the ongoing industrial strike action embarked upon by labour unions in the state is a fight to finish adding that their members will not renege until the Kwara State Government meet their demands.
Ore stated this today during a telephone chat with this medium while reacting to the development.
The industrial action embarked on by the Kwara State labour unions was successful as various government offices and parastatals were under lock and key when our reporters visited.
Also security operatives have been drafted to the affected ministries and parastatals to maintain peace and forestall possible breakdown of law and order while the strike is ongoing.
According to the NLC chairman, the strike will continue adding that all its affiliated bodies have complied with the directive until the government yield to their demand.’
“The strike is continuing. We are yet to reach negotiations until when the government answer to our request.
“We have told all the schools to be closed and they had complied. The ministries also have been shutdown and the hospitals,” Ore affirmed.
On the industrial court pronouncement obtained by the state government to prevent the union from embarking on the strike, Ore said:
“We have not gotten any court injunctions asking us to stop the industrial strike. It is all propaganda,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, activities were paralysed at the various ministries as workers who showed up for work were turned back from their duty post as a result of the Nigerian Labour Congress directive to stay off work.
Some public schools that were earlier opened were later closed following the arrival of the labour monitoring team to school to ascertain the level of compliance. Only private schools continued with their usual academic activities.
Some of the pupils of the public schools sited by our reporters used the opportunity to play football and engage in other forms of games.
At the Kwara State House of Assembly, workers who showed up for work were also turned back and the plenary that was scheduled to commence by 10:00am was cancelled.
A staff of the legislature who spoke on the issue on condition of anonymity told National Pilot that “We were turned backed when we resumed for work this morning. Although we have heard the statement of labour earlier but some of us were afraid of the possible consequences if it turned out to be false so we have to come and see for ourselves.
“Even the plenary that was supposed to hold today was cancelled. It was only the lawmakers and some senior staff that were allowed in when we came in the morning”, the source noted.