El-Rufai vows to deal with labour leaders
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has suspended its five-day warning strike in Kaduna State to honour an invitation by the federal government to broker truce in the ongoing industrial crisis in the state.
NLC President, Dr. Ayuba Wabba, told reporters in Kaduna that following the invitation by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, the union had decided that the warning strike, billed to terminate tomorrow would end yesterday.
He said: “As you are aware, we have said time without number that any time there is an opportunity to have a discussion over an industrial relation issue, particularly, like the one we have, we will always avail ourselves the opportunity to attend such meetings.
“This afternoon, an official letter was communicated to the NLC National Headquarters, signed by the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, and all of us must have seen the decision of the Federal Executive Council that intervention should be made and all parties should be brought to the negotiating table to look at the issue at stake with the aim of resolving them.”
He said that having received the letter, the NLC, at its meeting, thought that it was important to honour the invitation.
He said: “The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) by 11 am in Abuja and we thought that it is important for us to honour the meeting. The leadership of the NLCalongside the leadership of NLC in Kaduna State will attend the meeting because this is an issue that pertains to workers in Kaduna.”
“So, they have the substance of the issue. Therefore in the realisation of all of this, we thought that it is important to inform you members of the press.
“Therefore, in the realisation of our objectives to make sure that this action succeeds, the National Executive Council is also scheduled for Tuesday, 25, May 2021 at Abuja to review the warning strike that has been prosecuted to determine further action because it was the commitment of organs that once we are able to prosecute this first leg, we must also consult the organs before we go ahead.
“On the basis of those very clear information and for the fact that action has succeeded, the point has been made very clear and importantly the fact of the matter has been put before the public, including the substance of it.
“We want to thank all our members in Kaduna and all our affiliate unions for giving effect to this important decision of the National Executive Council.
We also decided that in going further in trying to have this dialogue, that the action will be suspended and the suspension will take effect tonight.
“We thank the citizens of Kaduna for their positive comments”.
Earlier yesterday, Wabba, who featured on a television programme, had accused theKaduna State Government of hiring 50 truckloads of thugs to attack protesting workers in the state.
He alleged that the governor paid N500 each to some youths to disrupt the demonstration of workers who protested the mass sacking of civil servants in the state.
“As I speak with you this morning, the security agencies are already there and they (Kaduna) have hired about 50 trucks of thugs to try to invade the NLC state office where our people are already converging. Is this democracy? Even under military (regime), labour leaders, labour laws have not been violated as it is today.
“The security agencies are already there, they are taking pictures, they are recording everything, all the vehicles, all the people,” he added.
The state Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, had on Tuesday declared the NLC president wanted for economic sabotage but Wabba dared him to arrest him.
We will Break the Strike, Deal with Criminals, El-Rufai Vows
Before the workers suspended the protest yesterday, el-Rufai had vowed to break thewarning strike and deal with the “criminals” that have violated the law.
He said at the 23rd Annual Tax Conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Kaduna, that the labour leaders would never come back to the state again “by the time we are done with them.”
According to him, the action of the labour leaders, which prevented business from operating, is criminal and illegal.
He said his administration was not against the right of workers to go on strike, but they must not disrupt workflow during the strike.
“There are efforts to prevent legitimate business to open, there are efforts to prevent banks from opening and also prevent petrol stations from dispensing fuel; this is totally criminal and illegal and we are going to take action.
“We are making efforts to provide security for all businesses that will wish to remain open”, he stated.
The governor added that labour unions have no right to stop businesses from operating.
Following Tuesday’s clash with thugs, the protesting workers, yesterday restricted their activities to the state secretariat of the NLC to avoid the strike being hijacked by hoodlums.
Armed thugs, alleged to have been sponsored, attacked the workers during a peaceful procession in Kaduna.
The workers had teamed up with the police who accompanied them during the procession to repel the hoodlums.
A detachment of armed security personnel has been deployed to the NLC secretariat to provide security for the workers.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) yesterday warned el-Rufai “not to burn down the country” with his actions against workers. They expressed their displeasure over the mass sacking of civil servants in the state.
President of NULGE, Mr. Ambali Olatunji, who gave the warning when he led a delegation to visit a former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in Abuja, said the current face-off between workers and el-Rufai was gradually degenerating into anarchy.
Olatunji called on Ekweremadu to speak to his colleagues in the National Assembly to prevail on the governor, to prevent the strike from spreading nationwide.
On his part, National President of MHWUN, Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, said: “On behalf of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in Nigeria, I want to use this occasion to register our utmost displeasure, disgust and dismay at the naked display of executive rascality exhibited by the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, by unleashing hoodlums on defenceless workers, led by Ayuba Wabba, while on a peaceful protest rally against the mass sacking and casualisation of workers of KadunaState.”
