Govt, Labour Talk Fails, Strike Continues

Guardian

15 January 2012

Govt, Labour Talk Fails, Strike Continues .

Sunday, 15 January 2012 

 .

 • We Had Fruitful Discussion; Crisis Will End Soon — Mark

 • Civil Society Resumes Mass Demonstration Tomorrow

 • We’ll Not  Shut Down  Oil Production, Says NLC President

MEETING between Labour and  Federal Govt yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, failed to reach a compromise on the main clause of the week-old dispute occasioned by the January 1 removal of fuel subsidy. Leaders of the 18-man Labour team led by President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar, and  the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Peter Esele, told journalists at about 11.20pm when the meeting ended ,  that   “Government was not ready” to yield to their demand of reverting to N65 per litre. When he was initially asked if the stalemate meant that the national strike would continue, he said he would communicate his NEC’s meeting to the media by today. But he later addressed the journalists, declaring categorically that the industrial action,  which after five days was suspended for two days at the weekend, would continue tomorrow.

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Meanwhile a  new slant may have been introduced into the ongoing mass action against subsidy removal, as some civil society groups in the Niger Delta may have coalesced to rally support for government’s position.                .As at Thursday, Asari Dokubo, former militant leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) led a peaceful rally of a sizeable crowd, threatening to defend the position of President Jonathan.

According to him, should PENGASSAN carried out its threat to shut oil production from today, he would rally former militants, to take over and ensure that PENGASSAN does not return       .

At the weekend, a coalition that called itself Deltans Occupy Niger Delta Resources (NDONDR), in a communiqué said it would take its resources back, by all legal means available to it.

The release signed by Anikio Briggs, President Agape Birthrights and convener of the (NDONDR) reads, “Niger Delta and oil resources found in the Niger Delta belong to Niger Delta people. All resources found in any other region of Nigeria belong to the people of such region. We call on all our Niger Delta people, for the sake of our future to look to our nearest neighbours, the Ibos for immediate and strong alliance, to enable the Niger Delta nations and the Igbo nation to face the obvious change that will come to Nigeria, in strength, justice, brotherhood and truth.

“If Jonathan, a Niger Delta son is not good enough to govern Nigeria, the oil in his Niger Delta is not good enough for Nigeria