A group of veteran labour leaders and trade unionists in the country have voiced their strong disapproval over the recent strike organised by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
The group, led by Comrade Isa Tijjani, accused the NLC of engaging harmful activities during the strike.
The veterans condemned the NLC leaders for allegedly sabotaging the national power grid, disrupting citizens’ daily activities, forcibly evicting law-abiding citizens from their workplaces, and employing coercive tactics to enforce participation in the strike.
The group in a statement on Friday, which was signed by Comrade Isa Tijjani, criticized the NLC for using strikes as a first resort in resolving labor disputes, arguing that this approach harms the very workers the strikes are meant to benefit.
Comrade Isa Tijjani, who serves as Interim Chairman of the group and has held deputy president positions in the Nigeria Labour Congress and the National Union of Petroleum Workers (NUPENG), emphasized the need for the congress to avoid partisan politics and focus on genuine labour issues.
The statement reads in full : “Once again, we write to express our anger and grave dissatisfaction with the way the recent strike was conducted by the Nigerian Labour congress.
In particular, we are miffed by the apparent treasonable felony committed by the striking Labour leaders in bringing down the National grid, stopping citizens from going about their legitimate businesses, forceful eviction of law abiding citizens from their offices and employment of force and arm twisting tactics on people to abide by the strike. All these should be investigated and appropriate actions taken.
Agitations for minimum wage is a legitimate right however, the means and method used in undertaking the strike is not only unfair but criminal an against rectified ILO conventions which is aimed at protecting essential service sectors in any given economy from such disruption.
Our earlier caution against using the congress as a Platform for Partisan Politics has gone unheeded and the consequences are here for all to see.
The penchant to opt for strike as the first option in settling labour disputes is inimical even to the interest of workers in whose name the strike was embarked upon in the first place. This demonstrate lack of seriousness and deep reflection on the side of congress leadership for always swinging into acting before they think. Such actions are inimical to well know norms and practices of the labor movement and should be stopped forthwith.
Finally, we want to highlight Ajaero’s actions which is aimed at dragging the congress into muddy waters of ethnicity, political partisanship and self-aggrandizement which has been there for long.”
