Oshiomhole suggested that the NLC president was being driven by political motives rather than interests of the country’s workers.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has criticised the union over its ongoing industrial action.
Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North District in the Senate, spoke on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa Abuja when he and other members of the APC visited to congratulate President Bola Tinubu on the victories of the party in the just concluded governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo.
The NLC is currently on a nationwide strike to protest the November 1 brutalisation of its national president, Joe Ajaero, in Imo State following his arrest by the police.
The union has accused Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma of mobilising thugs and policemen to attack the NLC president to frustrate the planned protest in the state on November 1, just days before the governorship election.
The governor and police have since denied the allegations.
Oshiomhole, however, said he does not support brutalisation of any Nigerian, including the labour leader.
“Let me be clear. I do not support the brutalisation of any Nigerian. I emphasise, any Nigerian, including a journalist, including the unemployed. Of course, including labour leader,” he said.
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Oshiomhole suggested that the NLC was wrong in their demands, explaining that the labour union should have focused on confronting state governments to implement N30, 000 minimum wage.
The former APC national chairperson said, based on what he termed “hierarchy of needs” and the current challenges facing Nigerians, the issue of minimum of wage should have been their concern.
“So if you mobilise private sector workers, state employees workers, local government workers, and now there is an agreement on N35,000 across the board, I want to see NLC saying there will be no sleep in any state where this is not being implemented,” he said.
Like Uzodimma, Oshiomhole suggested that the NLC president was being driven by political motives rather than interests of the country’s workers.
The former governor of Edo State said he would have supported NLC on the ongoing industrial action if their demands were based on the workers’ minimum wage and welfare.
“Unfortunately, this strike is not about those issues. And I think we have to be careful not to mix our political opinion with our responsibilities, because the issues confronting workers are so many that they should become the priority,” he said.
He suggested that the NLC president was supporting a candidate in the governorship election in Imo State.
“We must recognise that however hard you try, when it comes to politics, people are going to have different reasons for supporting different candidates. You have to be careful not to be seen to be doing the bidding of a particular candidate or a particular political party,” he said.