Says only resolution of workers’ grievances, not intimidation, can end ongoing conflict

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has asked the Imo State government to prepare for a long and devastating strike until it is ready to address the backlog of unpaid wages and violations of workers’ rights among other grievances.

NLC in a six-page statement warned the state government that misinformation, blackmail and abuses and other tools of propaganda will not remove the fact the government owes months of salaries, pensions and refusal to comply with the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019.

Recall that NLC had last Wednesday declared an indefinite statewide strike in Imo State over 20 months’ Salary arrears owed to workers, and violations of workers’ rights among others.

The statement signed by Imo State NLC Secretary, Anukwuorji Peter, among others, said “Do the name calling, insults and generation of amorphous bodies to seek the castigation of the NLC mislead the Commissioner or the state government into believing that the people and workers of the State who are treated as slaves and denied of their basic rights no longer face the realities of these deprivations? Does that wish these sufferings away? The answer is no.

“The truth remains that this government owes workers years in unpaid salaries. No amount of propaganda and lies can erase that or make the workers not ask for it. It is also a fact that this government has continued to stigmatise its workers by declaring over 11,000 of them ghost workers and impounding their salaries and wages in the process. Name-calling will not wipe this away.

“The truth is that this government owes Pensioners in the state over 20 months in arrears and did not pay gratuities to its workers for nearly 15 years yet, those in government receive their salaries and allowances without fail. The prattling of the Commissioner will not take that away.

“Perhaps, the government believes that insulting the NLC will make it now compliant with the Minimum Wage Act of 2019. It does not. This government has refused to obey the Laws of the country as it concerns the N30,000 National Minimum Wage Act. It has refused to pay workers appropriately despite all appeals. It has blocked its ears to the cries of the workers and pretends that all is well.

“It is interesting to know that this government signed an agreement with the NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, to resolve most of the Labour issues in the state but since then, it has refused to faithfully implement that agreement. “This is a clear case of infidelity and a government that lacks the necessary honour to abide by signed agreements but resorts to the use of Noise leaves itself to all manners of negative perceptions.

“The truth remains that this government likes the use of threat and violence to extract compliance to their wish as was demonstrated in the disruption of the last State Delegates Conference of the NLC where its agents carted away materials that were supposed to be used in the exercise unleashing mayhem on the delegates. Do the Commissioner’s continuous babblings and public gyration wish this away?

 “It is utter clownish and we are not amused as it leaves us befuddled as to the degree of debasement and abuse of government power going on in the state. We will refuse these diversionary tactics and insist on the government sticking to due process and fair play in dealing with workers in its employ.

“We remain focused on our demands and wish that the earlier the government realises and understands this resolve, the better for everybody. A labourer deserves his wage and this is what the workers in Imo State deserve.

“Instead of seeking traditional and acceptable platforms for resolving these issues, the government’s deployment of this attack dog demonstrates the yawning gaps in its understanding of the dynamics of reasonable social engagement. “Society has created minimum standards of engagement both locally and internationally which the behaviour and utterances of the government through its Commissioner completely negate.

“If the government has chosen this path of dishonour, it is their call but we will not in any way baulk in the face of this farcical performance. We will not be intimidated nor can we run out of the state like the previous leaders of the Congress in the state.

“This government will not be the first in Nigeria to seek the use of this dangerous style of engagement, or it is going to be the last but we want the government to know that we have demonstrated capacity to defend workers in the state and are prepared to deploy it to the fullest working within the ambits of the Law and traditions that govern Industrial relations.

“Whichever way this government decides to call it, we are prepared to meet it and not run. We are here for a long haul and it entirely depends on what this government wants and how it wants to resolve the issues that we have raised with it. We cannot abandon our responsibilities to workers in the state no matter what government decides to do.

The statewide strike, therefore, continues until the issues are satisfactorily resolved.

“The NLC remains committed to the detoxification of the civic space which has been stifled by the unholy actions of the government in Imo State after having seized the space strangulating the major elements within it thus denying the state its tremendous benefits.

“We are thus committed to promoting citizen participation to encourage transparency and discourage opaqueness and impunity in governance which the government seems to have enthroned and is enjoying.

“If Government deploys the same energy with which it insults people and organisations in their media to provide good governance to the people of Imo State, perhaps, there will not be any reason for us to be here on this deliverance mission. The people of the state would surely have been better but the contrary unfortunately is the case.

 “We, therefore, advise the government to focus more on serving the people rather than deploying the odious and insensate one in the Ministry of information to unleash insult on its workers and people. This is not helpful at all. There are still many good and reasonable men in Imo State who should take the lead in handling sensitive matters like this and not those who behave like pigs.

“We are ready to continue the dialogue that was aborted midway by the government to resolve the issues as it concerns workers in the state. The only path to handling the issue is clear to the government and the choice is theirs. We have a properly negotiated agreement with the Government which we grudgingly accepted with all its weaknesses but were called off at the point of signing by the government. Imo State Government knows this. It is their call.”