LEADERS of organized labour in the country have given reasons why the indefinite strike and street protests declared to force the Federal Government revert the pump price of Petrol from N141 per litre to pre-January1, 2012 price of N65 per litre, was suspended after eight days.

Announcing the suspension of the strike at a joint press briefing in Abuja yesterday, leaders of NLC and TUC explained that the strike action forced the government to announce price reduction from N140 to N97 per litre after it had earlier said the price hike was irreversible, while the government has also adopted the policy to reduce cost of governance.

The labour leaders also said following the protests across the country, the government has now made up its mind to move decisively against massive and crippling corruption in the oil sector even as government now saw the need to prosecute economic saboteurs and accelerate the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.

They also explained that street protests and mass rallies were earlier suspended by labour, to save lives and in the interest of national survival.

In a joint statement by Comrades Abdulwaheed Omar and Peter Esele, President of NLC and TUC respectively, labour, said in the past eight days through strikes, mass rallies, shutdown, debates and street protests, Nigerians demonstrated clearly that they could no longer be taken for granted and that sovereignty belonged to them.

The statement said: “In the last twenty four hours, the Labour Movement and its allies who had the historic responsibility of coordinating these mass actions have had cause to review the various actions and decided that in order to save lives and in the interest of national survival, these mass actions be suspended. We note the major successes Nigerians scored in these past days in which they rose courageously as a people to take their destiny in their hands.”

Giving reasons why the strike was suspended, Labour said: “First, the Federal Government that chorused continuously that its decision to increase petrol (PMS) price to N141 is irreversible and irreducible, was forced to announce a price reduction to N97. We, however, state categorically that this new price was a unilateral one by the Government. Secondly, Government has been made to adopt the policy to drastically reduce the cost of governance.

Source:
Vanguard