The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has explained the reason behind the congress letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, being the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, over the failure of Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to honour and respect the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at a meeting brokered by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, to resolve the labour crisis in the state.
Wabba said it had become imperative to inform the president as the Commander in Chief of all security agency in the country and father, of the activities of Kaduna State Government which are clearly against extant labour laws and the position of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC over the suspended strike in Kaduna State.
Specifically, the NLC president said the NEC has given the National Administrative Council of the congress the mandate and power to re-activate the suspended industrial action in Kaduna and declared a national strike without prior notice, if El-Rufai remains recalcitrant.
“The National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC on May 25, 2021, resolved that in case the Kaduna State Government remains adamant and recalcitrant or continues to pursue the path of war, threat and punitive actions against workers and their interests, that it had given the National Administrative Council (NAC) the power to re-activate the suspended industrial action in Kaduna State and also call for the withdrawal of services of all workers in Nigeria without any further notice,” Wabba said.
In a letter written to President Buhari through his Chief of Staff, Wabba thanked the President for his earlier intervention in the recent industrial dispute in Kaduna State.
The letter read: “We write to convey the deepest appreciation of the entire workforce in Nigeria for the gracious intervention of Mr President to the recent industrial dispute in Kaduna State occasioned by the decision of the Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Nasir El-Rufai, to arbitrarily sack thousands of workers in the state public service without recourse to the provisions of Nigerian laws.
“Given the fatherly intervention of your Excellency, Mr. President, the Nigeria Labour Congress immediately suspended our warning strike and embraced the conciliation process brokered by your directives and facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. Sequel to a letter addressed to us by the Minister of Labour and Employment and dated May 26, 2021, herewith attached, we wish to draw the attention of Your Excellency, Mr. President, to the following concerns.
“Mr President may recall that the first conciliatory meeting between the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Kaduna State Government took place on May 20, 2021. A major outcome of that meeting was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Kaduna State Government. The MoU specifically provided that there should be no further victimization and harassment of workers and trade union leaders in the state especially workers who participated in the warning strike.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress was also expected to maintain the suspension of the strike action while negotiations continued. To our greatest surprise, after signing the MoU with workers, the Kaduna State Government has gone ahead to impugn all the clauses in the agreement freely entered with the Nigeria Labour Congress. Some of the violations by the Kaduna State Government include as follows.”
“Refusal of the Kaduna State Government to honour/respect the Memorandum of Understanding signed at a meeting brokered by the Minister of Labour and Employment; continuous violation of workers’ rights as provided in our labour laws; punitive transfer of the State Chairperson of the NLC and workers’ victimization by sack for participating in the warning strike; violation of the ‘no victimization’ clause in the signed agreement; and non-adherence and respect for the rule of law.”
Copies of the letter were sent to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Inspector General of Police, Director, State Security Services, and all affiliate unions of the NLC.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Battle For First Bank: The Untold Story
Last week was one of twists and turns for First Bank of Nigeria Limited, the nation’s oldest banking institution. It was a week that saw the bank’s MD sacked and reinstated, as major shareholders struggled for control of the financial powerhouse. SULAIMON OLANREWAJU reports…
#EndSARS Panel: Drama As Witness Presents Video Evidence Of Slain Lekki Protesters
A witness of the Lekki tollgate shooting incident, Miss Sarah Ibrahim has presented video evidence of people injured and killed at the scene to the Lagos State Judicial Panel. Tribune Online reports that…