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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has petitioned President Muhammedu Buhari over the refusal of the Kaduna State Governor, Mr Nasir el-Rufai to honour the memorandum of understanding signed at the meeting arranged by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige on 20 May 2021 to resolve the strike in the state and resolve the squabble between both parties.
The NLC has also threatened to commence a fresh industrial action if the el-Rufai continues to toe the war path.
In a letter addressed to the President sighted by Saturday Sun, the NLC revealed how the Kaduna State Government had violated the provisions of the MoU which specifically stated that there should be no further victimization and harassment of workers and trade union leaders in the state, especially workers who participated in the warning strike.
The letter read: “We write to convey the deepest appreciation of the entire workforce in Nigeria for the gracious intervention of Mr. President to the recent industrial dispute in Kaduna State occasioned by the decision of the Kaduna State Governor, Mr Nasir el-Rufai, to arbitrarily sack thousands of workers in the State Public Service without recourse to the provisions of Nigerian laws.
“Given the fatherly intervention of Your Excellency, Mr. President, the Nigeria Labour Congress immediately suspended our warning strike and embraced the conciliation process brokered by your directives and facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
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“Sequel to a letter addressed to us by the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment and dated May 20, 2021, herewith attached, we wish to draw the attention of Your Excellency, Mr. President, to the following concerns:
“Your Excellency, Mr. President, may recall that the first conciliatory meeting between the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Kaduna State Government took place on May 20, 202 L A major outcome of that meeting was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Kaduna State Government The MoU specifically provided that there should be no further victimization and harassment of workers and trade union leaders in the state especially workers who participated in the warning strike. The Nigeria Labour Congress was also expected to maintain the suspension of the strike action while negotiations continued.
“To our greatest surprise, after signing the MoU with workers, the Kaduna State Government has gone ahead to impugn all the clauses in the agreement freely entered with the Nigeria Labour Congress. Some of the violations by the Kaduna State Government include as follows:
“Refusal of the Kaduna State Government to honour/respect the Memorandum of Understanding signed at a meeting brokered by the Minister of Labour and Employment; Continuous violation of workers’ rights as provided in our labour laws; Punitive transfer of the State Chairperson of the NLC, Workers’ victimization by sack for participating in the warning strike, Violation of the “no victimization” clause in the signed agreement, Non-adherence and respect for the rule of law;
“Your Excellency, Mr President, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC on May 25, 2021 resolved that in case the Kaduna State Government remain adamant and recalcitrant or continues to pursue the path of war, threat and punitive actions against workers and their interests, that it had given the National Administrative Council (NAC) the power to re-activate the suspended industrial action in Kaduna State and also call for the withdrawal of services of all workers in Nigeria without any further notice”.
