The Nigeria Labour Congress says, it has resolved to resume its suspended strike in Kaduna State without further notice over the unjust sack of over 35,000 workers in the state.
The President of NLC Comrade Ayuba Wabba made this known in Abuja at the end of an emergency National Executive Council meeting.
Ayuba said the decision is a last resort following the Kaduna State Government’s refusal to comply with the MoU entered with labour during the intervention by the Federal Government.
It could be recalled that NLC had embarked on a five day industrial action in Kaduna State following the sack of thousands of workers, but the strike action was suspended on May 19th 2021, following the intervention of the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Labour And Employment, during which MoU was signed.
The NLC President lamented that the Kaduna State government has continued to treat the signed MoU with levity ever since it was entered.
He further lamented that Kaduna state has also refused to set up a committee to look into the issue as ordered by the Federal government.
Wabba insisted that strike is a legal means used globally by workers to press home their demands.
“Resolve calls as follows: that the decision of the National Executive Council to withdraw all services and protest of this neo-liberal and extreme right wing policy should take effect without further delay. Mobilisation of all our state councils and all affiliates should take place immediately, and that all employers of labour should be put on notice, as required by our extant laws”.
“Secondly, we make bold to say that all those falsehood, and propaganda would be responded to appropriately, because we thought that in a modern day democracy, our politician should always speak the truth and they should not be used to falsify information, and even advanced issues of propaganda which has been the issue”.
“Particularly, the issue of citing degree 2, which has been abolished by the current democratic dispensation. Degree 2 is only known to the military era, and therefore, if El-Rufai wants to return to the era of militarization of our democracy. I think is something that should be condemned and to say that the actions of workers and trade unions are regulated by laws. It is the Kaduna state government that has violated the provision and sanctity of our laws. The MoU has stated this clearly, that all that has happened, have conformed to the provision of our laws”.
“That is why, as a matter of last resort, the National Executive Council, the central Working Committee, and the National Registration Council of Congress have to take those decisions because we thought, we have exhausted all legitimate processes of making sure that we are heard”.
“Even in the best economies, workers are allowed to withdraw their services and even in the event of strike in essential service, what is required by law is for the employer to negotiate with unions on how social services can be allowed to flow”.
