The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed workers in Oyo State to commence an indefinite strike from Tuesday.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, stated this in an address to Oyo workers at the union’s secretariat in Ibadan.
Wabba said the strike will only be suspended when their demands were met.
Speaking through the Deputy National President, Solomon Adelegan, Wabba said the demands included withdrawal of court case against seven labour leaders, full payment of six months arrears of salaries and pensions.
Other demands included better funding of the education sector and the need for the state government to rescind the decision to privatise secondary education.
The NLC had earlier criticised Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, over what it described as the harassment, arrest and detention of workers who were protesting the government’s policy to hand over public schools to individual in the guise of public, private partnership.
Wabba stated that the move by the state government to sell off the public schools without the consent of the people amounted to a betrayal of trust and the ideals for which the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo stood for.
He also called on the state governor to release unconditionally all the protesting workers who were detained and taken to court as a result of the protest against the privatisation.
The detained labour leaders have been released from prison after meeting their bail conditions.
