Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call Governor Nasir Elrufai to order for the sacking of workers without following due process in Kaduna state.
The call is contained in the Workers’ Day address by the President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and President TUC Comrade Quadri Olaleye, presented by the Kaduna NLC Chairman, Comrade Ayuba Suleiman at Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.
They warned that they are mobilizing every Nigerian worker for the mother of all struggles in Kaduna state.
They also warned that the organized labour will not take Governor Ahmed El-Rufai’s current repression of workers lying low.
NLC and TUC described the mass sack and casualization of over 60℅ of the workforce in Kaduna state by Governor Nasir El- Rufai, as the most brutal attack ever on workers and trade union rights in the nation’s history.
The organized Labour also expressed sadness of the increase of school fees of Kaduna state University by almost 500% by the state government .
” you would recall that between 2016 and this year,the Kaduna state Governor, Mr Nasir El-Rufai sacked 21,770 primary school teachers, 7,310 local government employees, 3,000 personnel in the state civil service and 1,240 workers at the State Primary Health Care Board” NLC said.
According to organized labour, while the disengaged workers still licking their wounds , the Governor went further to ” increase the School fees of Kaduna State university by almost 500%, this clearly shows a well mapped plan to make the children of the working class to destitutes, is this how Mr. El-Rufai understands development ” he quizzed
While lamenting what they described as ” the serial pattern of anti-workers and anti-trade union war of attrition by the Kaduna State Governor, Mr Nasir El-Rufai is not lost on the Nigerian public adding that ” the industrial sadism of Mr El-Rufai has become legendary; it is even worst now”
They further said the actions of the Governor ” are in breach of section 20 Sub Section 1(a-c),2 and 3 of Nigeria’s Labour Act which demand consultation with workers representative organizations before redundancy letters are issued to Workers.
” we also condemn in the strongest term the violation of the terms of employment contract of the disengaged workers which provides for 60 years retirement age and 35 years of active service”.
” We consider the promise in the redundancy letters issued to the current victims of Mr El-Rufai’s reign of sadism as a mockery to the sacked workers ; talk of rubbing insult to injury” the union stressed
The organized Labour further said ” El-Rufai has refused to pay workers that he had earlier sacked between 2016 and 2020 their redundancy benefits adding ” Mr Nasir El-Rufai continues to prove himself as an agent provocateur and the precursor for the deteriorating security situation in Kaduna state “
