The leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers( NURTW) has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to insulate the union from its tussle with the Federal Government over fuel subsidy issues, stating that the internal issues of the union should not be used as bait to hold the government to ransom.
It will be recalled that NLC had in a press statement credited to the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, threatened that the labour movement will not attend any meeting called or involving the Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, premising their stand on the ground that the minister is plotting to thwart the agreement reached with the Federal Government concerning the resolution of the crisis rocking the NURTW, alleging the minister of taking sides with a faction of the union.
But reacting to the NLC outburst, the Acting general secretary of the union, Comrade Kayode Agbeyangi, berated the NLC leadership, accusing them of crying more than the bereaved.
” We would have ignored the NLC president, but there is need to put the record straight. For record purposes, there is no more factions in the NURTW. We are intact and indivisible and this was demonstrated with various resolutions of our CWC and NEC meeting and with successful hosting of our 10 th quadrennial delegate conference on 25 th October, 2023.”
It has become the stock in trade of the NLC to blackmail everybody trying to find an amicable solution to the union’s problems. They began with President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, who was accused of providing security cover for the union. Now it is the turn of Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment to be blackmailed. To Ajaero, it must be Baruwa by all means and nothing more.
He explained that the minister, in his efforts at resolving the Baruwa-induced crisis, invited all the parties and each party presented their position papers to the ministry for review and consultations, but after first meeting, Baruwa refused to attend subsequent meetings, sitting ill health and the ministry felt a single individual cannot hold the union to ransom, hence he gave directive that the process of getting new leaders for the union should commence”
Agbeyangi warned the NLC leadership not to drag the NURTW into its problem with the federal government.
“Our union wants the NLC to handle its problems with the federal Government without necessarily dragging our union into it. NURTWcis a registered body with its own constitution and we have conducted our affairs in conformity with the union constitution.
We are therefore using this medium to appeal to the NLC to desist from using NURTW issues as bait in its dispute with the federal government”
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