Osun Workers Begin 3-day Sympathy Strike, Threaten Withdrawal Of Support For Tinubu

Workers of the Osun State government on Monday threatened to withdraw their support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election over withheld local government funds, as they complied with a three-day sympathy strike.

Recalling that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Sunday, in a statement jointly signed by the state NLC chairman, Christopher Arapasopo, and secretary, Victor Amusan, the workers declared a three-day sympathy strike in solidarity

with the local government workers who were said to be suffering from withheld local government funds.

The union contended that the ongoing difficulties facing local government employees should not be treated as an isolated concern of NULGE but as a collective challenge requiring the intervention of the entire labour movement.

In compliance with the NLC order, workers stayed off their duty posts across the state on Monday, as the state secretariat in Abere, Osogbo, was deserted, and other state government offices and schools remained closed.

Students who were caught unaware of the strike action trooped to their various schools earlier Monday, only to find the gates locked against them.

Meanwhile, the World Institute for Peace, a human rights group, has condemned the strike action, saying that the warning strike was needless, barbaric, deceptive and a deliberate attempt to ground the state’s economy and potentially trigger civil unrest.

Reacting to the declared strike at a press conference on Monday, the executive director of the World Institute for Peace, Lamina Omotoyosi, said the NLC should be mindful of the ongoing legal tussle over the matter and the economic sabotage and hardship the strike may cause the state.

“We are genuinely interested in a timely resolution of the crisis and the release of funds to improve the lives of people at the grassroots. However, ignoring existing legal obstacles amounts to mischief, dishonesty and an affront to the judiciary, particularly when such a position is being advanced by a labour movement that ought to be a custodian of public institutions, including the judiciary.

We therefore consider the proposed strike as mere political grandstanding, either to patronise the state government, intimidate the judiciary or blackmail the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the World Institute for Peace contended.

Reviewing the compliance with the strike action assignment ordered by it at a press conference in Osogbo on Monday, NLC said the Organised Labour in the state cannot guarantee the support and votes of workers, pensioners, and their families for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“This position arises from the continued withholding of Local Government allocations and the attendant hardship imposed on workers, pensioners and our dependents. We can no longer pretend that we are happy when we are suffering!”

The Congress also disclosed its plan to begin peaceful picketing of United Bank for Africa (UBA) branches across Osun State soon.

The exercise, according to the organised labour, was aimed at demanding an end to the disputed disbursement of Local Government allocations and ensuring that all outstanding funds are released into the appropriate accounts of constitutionally valid Local Government administrations.