The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) has said that strikes by different categories of workers in the country are a sign that President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government is failing.
This was contained in a press statement signed by its Deputy National Coordinator, Ogunjimi Isaac; and Acting National Mobilization Officer, Adaramoye Michael, on Wednesday.
In the statement titled, ‘ERC supports ASUP strike’, the group expressed fear that other categories of workers may soon embark on strike.
Part of the statement read, “The ERC fully supports the demands of the striking members of ASUP and call on the government to immediately and unconditional meet their demands.
“We call on Polytechnic students to support the strike and embark on peaceful mass protests and demonstrations to compel the government to meet the demands. We also strongly advise ASUP not to make this strike a sit at home action. Rather they should organise public activities like press campaign, leafletting, public symposia, peaceful protests etc in order to build public support.
“Aside from Polytechnic lecturers, resident doctors have been on strike since last week, also Shoprite workers have organised two national shutdowns against an imminent threat to their job, pay and conditions as a result of the sale of the company and this week, judicial workers have equally started a strike thereby shutting the courts. Many other categories of workers are likely to embark on strike in the coming weeks and months.
“We wish to affirm that incessant strikes by different categories of workers are signs that show the Buhari capitalist government has failed. What is urgently needed is to unite all these struggles into a powerful movement that can win demands while simultaneously building a mass workers political alternative to wrest power from the capitalist elite and bring into power a government composed of workers, youth and the poor masses and armed with socialist policies.
“Only such a government can utilize the resources of Nigeria to fund public education and healthcare adequately, guarantee a living wage and decent work conditions, thereby putting an end to the legacy of incessant strikes and agitations.
“We, therefore, urge the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, as a first step, to call a day of action involving protests and demonstrations to give solidarity to the struggles of striking doctors, polytechnic lecturers, Shoprite workers and judicial workers.
“Such a day of action can help to compel the government and employers to back down and quickly meet the demands of the striking workers.
“Such an action can also, especially in a period dominated by sectarian and secessionist agitations, open the way to a united struggle of the entirety of the Nigerian workers by showing an example of solidarity as the cornerstone of the labour movement.”
(PUNCH)
