Fashola urges united Labour

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Friday called on the Nigeria Labour Congress to focus on issues that would promote the interests of the country as a whole, instead of directing its energy on activities that would encourage factions within its fold.

He urged the Congress to organise a workshop on how to solve the challenges confronting the country.

Fashola, who spoke at the 2015 Worker’s Day at Onikan Stadium, Lagos, asked the workers to come together and stop fighting.

The governor said, “A divided labour is a fragile labour. The new government coming in from the state and the national level need a united and strong labour, not a divided labour force that cannot deliver on its aspiration.

“Whatever it takes, all of you the leaders must reach out and compromise and you must have one united labour.

“Now, our attitudes and strategies must also change. We have stood here year after year, what is the national communiqué we have produced from these rallies?

“So perhaps instead of standing in the sun every year, we can use all these money for fez caps and other beautiful things and hire a hall and have a one day workshop on how to solve the problems in Nigeria. Whether it is housing, power, and education; let us have a debate championed by labour for a whole day. Let us change the strategy.”

Fashola, however, asked the labour union to always endeavour to adopt collective bargaining to achieve its objectives instead of resulting to strike.

According to him, labour unions embarked upon no fewer than 30 strikes between 2007 and 2014.

While describing strike by workers as unproductive weapon, the governor said 1,279 productive days were lost to strike in the last seven years.

He said, “There is nothing illegal about strike, it should be the last result. Strike has consequences. One, production stops when workers go on strike and the law states that those who embark on strike when they are supposed to be at their duty post should not get paid.”

Fashola, who described this year’s workers’ day as his valedictory attendance, asked Lagos State workers and other residents to support the administration of the governor-elect, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode.