Following alleged anti-labour policies of Governor Nasir-El-Rufai in the governance of Kaduna State, the TUC and NLC are now poised to mobilize their members from other parts of the country to Kaduna in solidarity with their colleagues.
To this end, a 7-day ultimatum has already been handed down to the Governor to drop the policies seen by the labour, as unfriendly.
A similar action had been carried out in Owerri, the Imo State Capital when Governor Okorocha dared the labour, announcing the sack of thousands of workers.
Although the issues in contention in Kaduna State include deregistration of workers from unionism and the endless verification exercise, forms have already been distributed to workers to fill and indicate “yes or no” whether they would belong to labour or not.
This is the move, the labour foresees as a way and means of weakening it or create “divide and rule” tactics. Both NLC and TUC have therefore drawn up a battle line with El-Rufai to either have a change of mind or ready to face the anger of the nation’s labour movement.
Other issues in contention, according to the workers, are the nonpayment of salaries and non compensation to families of their colleagues who were killed during a verification exercise in Zaria last year, despite the promise by El-Rufai.
Addressing thousands of workers’ representatives who converged on the state NLC Secretariat in Kaduna on Wednesday, the National President, Comrade Ayuba Waba enjoined the workers to be ready to make sacrifice, be prayerful, active and determined.
“The entire Nigerian workers stand by you, fill the forms, photocopy it and keep it,” Waba said.
The NLC President announced that a meeting of the Central Working Committee would be convened during the 7-day ultimatum given to the Governor to take decision on the next line of action in solidarity with the workers in Kaduna State.
Comrade Waba said the labour would continue to assert its independence as acknowledged by the International Labour Organization, ILO.
His counterpart of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Comrade Bala Bobboi Kaigama spoke in the same vein assuring the workers of his members’ solidarity with their “plight.”
