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From: Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked Nigerians to hold Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State responsible of any breakdown of law and order in the state.
Consequently, the NLC has vowed to commence a series of actions with the first phase of protests, in Kaduna, on Thursday, to constitutionally defend the rights of workers affected by the recent purge in the state’s workforce.
The Congress said the recent sack of about 36,000 workers from the state public service by the state government was already causing social tensions in the state, adding that the governor must be stopped by every legal means.
A breakdown of those affected in the sack were 21,000 teachers, 4,000 local government workers, and 8000 workers from various state Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including tertiary institutions.
Addressing newsmen on the current industrial crisis in the state, in Abuja, on Tuesday, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said the act of impunity committed against workers by the Kaduna State Government, under the guise of a competency test and the Public Service Revitalisation and Renewal Project, were not in conformity with international best practices and recognised industrial relations engagement.
According to Wabba, “Our concerns, and indeed those of well-meaning Nigerians include the illegal and unacceptable processes employed by the Governor and their direct impact on thousands of dependants of 36,000 workers and their families thrown in one fell swoop into the unemployment market. More worrisome are the grievous and negative implications of this in a state grappling with social tensions and societal ills such as kidnappings, armed robberies, killings among others.
“The actions of Governor el-Rufai are largely propelled by his rabid obsession to access a loan and mortgage the lives and livelihood of thousands of workers, and indeed the people of Kaduna state to the IMF and World Bank.
“We make bold to say that no sane and humane society will contemplate such inconsiderate policy as a mass sack, talk less of implementing it at a time everyone, particularly policy makers have made us believe that the country is barely out of recession. Seriously minds in both the public and private sectors are focused on reflating the economy, creating jobs and curbing all forms of social insecurity. Thus, we find the actions of el-Rufai totally inhuman and economically illogical, and not worth venturing into.
“It is apparent that El-Rufai’s approach is a clear violation and abuse of the tenets and provisions of our labour laws and well known international best practices, and are capable of exacerbating social tensions and societal ills in the state.”
