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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Trade Union Congress (TUC), has directed it affiliates to begin mobilization for a massive protest in Lagos on Monday, in response to the state’s government’s reluctance to reinstitute the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
The Congress has also said it would direct its members across the state to withdraw their services if the issue is not resolved after the protest.
The governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, issued an executive order in September 2022 suspending RTEAN operations throughout the state.
The governor said incidents of violence in Ojo and Lagos Island necessitated the suspension.
The state government further established a 35-person ad-hoc committee, headed by Sulaiman Raji, to take over the union.
However, in October after the union file a suit against the Lagos government at the national industrial court, a judgement was issued ordering the reinstatement of the RTEAN in the state.
But TUC President, Festus Osifo, at a press conference Friday in Abuja, said that the Lagos State Government had refused to reinstate RTEAN despite the decision of the court.
He said several attempts by the Congress to get the state governor to honour the decision of the court had proved abortive.
Osifo said: “On the 22nd day of May, this year, we wrote to Lagos State government drawing their attention to the pronouncement of the court but unfortunately, they did not yield to this.
“So, on the second week of June, we had a protest in Lagos after the protest, they called us and we had a meeting with the Permanent Secretaries in the various ministries that were affected
“We thought we were already finding solutions to this problem because they told us that they were going to pass our message to the Governor, and they promised us that these issues would be resolved.
“After the first meeting, a follow up meeting was also held, and we thought we were almost resolving this challenge, but unfortunately, the statuesque still remains.
“Two weeks ago, we also sent a letter to the Lagos State Government, drawing their attention to this, because, for us, the trade Union Congress of Nigeria, we often say that injury to one is injury to all.
“But, we didn’t get any response. So all attempts for us to reach the state governor, infact we have also reported this to the Minister of Labour, we have also reported this to some people that are in the federal government that are from Lagos State to call the governor to order.
“What they did to RETEAN a while ago is what they are also doing to NURTW today.
“They are now even gunning for the National NURTW. So, for us, this is fundamentally wrong, this is not correct.
“it is against this backdrop that on the 4th of September, we said, that within two weeks, if the Lagos State Government did not resolve this issue, that we were going to come after them.
“We are going to carry out a protest in Lagos once again. Then after that protest, we will see if there is no solution, then there is going to be a total short down in Lagos state, because for us, this is clearly not acceptable.
“So, in order for us to carry out a successful protest in Lagos on Monday, next week, we have informed the DG of DSS, the IGP, and we have also informed the National Security Advisor.
“The reason is that we want the m to provide us with adequate security and we have also informed all our various affiliates that everybody should proceed to Lagos next week. The General Secretary of Lagos Lagos should proceed to Lagos and we will do a lot of mobilization to carry out our protest and express our displeasure once more.
“If this clarion call is not yielded, then we will now have no further option than to ask our members working in Lagos to withdraw their services forthwith.”
