NLC pickets Orange Drugs, consolidated holdings

FOLLOWING the threat issued on Wednesday that it will picket some companies over casualisation and anti-labour activities, the Nigeria Labour Congress eventually picketed Orange Drugs Ltd and Consolidated Business Holdings in Lagos on Thursday.

The activity commenced on Orange Drug premises in the morning around 8am and was led by the Vice President, NLC, Mr Solomon Adelegan, with other members.

Adelegan said casulisation and refusal for the workers to be unionised were the reasons for picketing Orange Drugs.

Meetings were later held with the management and memorandum of understanding was signed by both parties with emphasis on the company putting an end to casulisation and also allow the workers to be unionised.

At the Consolidated Business Holdings, violence erupted and members of the union descended on the Admin Manager, Mr Gbenga Oyesiji, with sticks, claiming that he assaulted a member of the union the last time they visited the company.

It took the intervention of Adelegan before he was set free from the mob and whisked away into the van that conveyed the union to the company.

Mr Adelegan ordered the workers of the company to come out of the office and at a time, he lost his patience and ordered the members of the union to forcefully force the workers out.

Another drama ensued as one of the staff members used a stick on one of the members of the union and he was descended on heavily and also whisked into the van.

The NLC boss later went in with other members and a memorandum of understanding was also signed, agreeing to the terms of the unions.

The Company Secretary, Consolidated Business Holdings, Mr Olajide Koiki, denied the allegation of casualisation in the company and owing of salaries for three months.

He said, what the company has are contract staff and the issue of owing salaries is not a news and that some government agencies who has all resources are owing their staff up to a year salary.

Adelegan stressed, that picketing on these companies were carried out to commemorate the “World Day for Decent Work”

Placards with “minimum wage is not enough to live a decent life” “unionisation is a right and not a privilege” “end corporate greed, pay decent wages” were written on some of the placards displayed by the union members to drive home their demand.