…Mobilises members for mass action
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has condemned in strong term the attack on the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero by the Nigeria Police Force and criminal thugs in Imo State penultimate Wednesday.
A statement jointly signed by the President of NUTGTW, John Adaji and the Secretary General, Ali Baba described the attack as uncivilised action by the power that be.
“The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) condemns in strongest term the unwarranted and unprovoked attack, brutalisation, abduction and near murder of the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero by the Nigeria Police Force and the paid criminal thugs on Wednesday November 1, 2023.
“As an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), we have put our members and employers across the country on notice for possible action by the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to protest against the brutality.
“The mayhem was unleased on the workers and the NLC President while on peaceful protest against the serial and habitual abuse and violation of the rights of Imo State workers by the Imo State government.
“We are particularly disturbed that this uncivilised action by the Imo State Governor and the Nigeria Police Force is taking place in a democracy which the organised labour fought for, not military dictatorship.
“We reaffirm that workers under the Nigerian Constitution, African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions particularly conventions 87 and 98 on the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining have the right to organise and engage in collective bargaining and social dialogue.
“It is also unprecedented in our industrial relations landscape that the Imo State Government cloned its own NLC Council in Imo State and has refused to dialogue with the authentic representative of the NLC in the State, intimidating and harassing workers’ officials in the State. The height of this impunity was the barbaric assault on the NLC President on Wednesday.
“We call on Nigerian workers and masses, lovers of democracy, civil society organisations, men and women of good will and the international labour movement to rise up to condemn this brutality carried out by the Nigeria police force and the Imo State government against peaceful assembly of workers and their leadership”. The statement said.