The Nigeria Labour Congress has sound the drum of strike once again against the increase in fuel price and 10% VAT. In a statement issue yesterday, they warned that Nigerians should prepare for a long strike if the federal government refuse to play ball by reversing the VAT and Pump price of petrol back to its former position.
This blog wonder whether the strike can take effects at all. If indeed the ultimatum given by labour come to pass, it will be a testing ground by both the Federal Government and the Labour. This is because the Labour Union will be embarking on a strike first time after the erstwhile President Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has left the office, and also first time after the government has enacted a law making joint labour strike illegal. The labour will also want to test how this new government would handle labour strike compared to how it has been in Obasanjo era.
The federal government on the other hand would also want to test its newly enacted law banning strike by NLC and of course it will also be a test ground for how the new government and labour relations would be.
Whichever way, it is the masses that will suffer. Truth is, despite the hike in price of fuel, there is still some scarcity in certain areas making some people to buy pump price as high as 250 naira per litre. Some people believed, this is another way of government making the price to stay, since some people will argue that the price is still highly subsidised and that, that probably explained why it is still scarce.
This blog urge the labour to shelve its strike because it will still paralyse the economy. They should try and look for another avenue to make grievances known instead of strike. Strike, to me, should be the last resort after all available options have been exhausted. Using the joker of strike at any slightest opportunity by labour has beginning to make the strike action look old-fashioned, ineffectual and confrontational.
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