WE SUPPORT THE ONGOING STRIKE ACTION OF OGUN STATE WORKERS

GOVERNOR AMOSUN MUST MEET DEMANDS OF WORKERS NOW!

PRESS STATEMENT

We of the Ogun State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria expresses our solidarity with the ongoing strike action embarked upon by workers in the state under the aegis of the Ogun State Chapters of Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress. We view the strike action as long overdue in the face of the stubborn refusal of the Ibikunle Amosun’s All Progressives Congress’- led Ogun State Government to meet the demands of workers for the payment of salaries’ deductions among other entitlements owed by the government.

We salute labour leaders and workers for going ahead with the strike action despite the last minute face-saving efforts of the pro-government Traditional Council of the state.

However, we call on the labour leaders not restrict this strike to a sit-at-home action. Rather, they should organize a series of mass activities like peaceful protest rallies and symposiums including mass circulation of leaflet across the state in order to mobilise and sustain the support of the masses as well as rank and file workers for the strike. This is the best way that cannot only render the government incapable of using “divide and rule” tactics to defeat the strike but also compel it to meet the demands of workers.

We also call on the labour leaders to avoid abrupt termination of the strike, which was the case the last time, without the state government being made to commit itself to paying workers their owed salaries’ deductions.

We also call on the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress to arise and meet the yearnings of their suffering workers across the states beleaguered with unpaid salaries by calling nationwide general strike and mass protests against the tragic situation. This is the best way to channel all the pockets of mass resistance breaking out in the states into a unified nationwide mass movement that could win serious gains.

We are quick to warn that the alternative is the situation where the pockets of state-wide strikes like the ongoing strike action in Ogun State would be isolated and derailed.

We hold that the struggle for payment of salaries’ deductions must be linked to the need for a genuine mass working people’s political movement. The failure of the Amosun regime confirms the dead-end that anti-worker parties like the All Progressives Congress which is not fundamentally different from the People’s Democratic Party and others (Social Democratic Party, Unity Party of Nigeria, etc) can only offer to the masses. This is why members of the Socialist Party of Nigeria are in struggle for registration to provide a striking example of a pro-working people party to the entire labour movement side by side with our campaign for a genuine mass working people’s political alternative. We call on the rank-and-file of workers, youth and the poor to join the Socialist Party of Nigeria.     

EKO JOHN NICHOLAS                                                                                                                State Secretary

SPN Ogun State

To JOIN the SPN in Ogun State: Contact 08022634850, 09097933015