NLC DSS Joe Ajaero
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared that it will not be intimidated by the federal government’s actions.
NLC President Joe Ajaero condemned the recent invasion of the union’s headquarters, a threatening letter from the Registrar of Trade Unions, and the arrest of Opalua Eleojo, a National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) executive, as attempts by the government to intimidate organized labour.
Ajaero further accused the federal government of insincerity in its dealings and promises to Nigerians, highlighting the unfulfilled promise of providing 50kg bags of rice at ₦40,000.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Ajaero pointed out that in the days leading up to the End-Hunger protests, the Registrar of Trade Unions, acting on government orders, issued a threatening letter concerning the NLC’s relationship with the Labour Party, citing Section 15 (ss) 2, 3, 4 of the Trade Unions Act.
“In their bid to suppress our voice, they forgot the provisions of Sections 39 – to 40 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), the Supreme Court decision on the right of public servants to hold political views.
“The government is also frantically working to reduce to two the number of years trade unionists could hold office. This constitutes a gross interference in the internal running of the trade unions in violation of the corpus of Labour Law and ILO Conventions,” he said.
The organized labour explained that the statement by Nigeria Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuwiya Adejobi that the raid of NLC’s headquarters had nothing to do with the labour union was false.
NLC said no intentional terrorist hid in the union’s headquarters.
“If the police truly had credible intelligence and if Congress was not their target, what was wrong in taking the leadership of Congress into confidence.
Intimidated NLC
And if they felt that would jeopardise the operation, couldn’t they have confided in the leadership at H-hour?
“The police and government should stop playing on our intellect.
They should also stop diverting attention from the real issues that still stare us in the face, economic policies that continue to unleash hardship on the people.
“The insincerity of government is so manifest. They claimed they were selling bags of rice at 40k and had to stop when the rice was being resold at ₦80,000. Up till this moment no one has been able to tell us where rice was sold at ₦40,000.
“We advise the government to stop further acts of intimidation against the Nigeria Labour Congress and indeed against the generality of Nigerians,” he added.
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