Nigerian workers are not slaves- NLC

Worried about his systemic reintroduction and institutionalisation of modern slavery of Nigerian workers, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on stakeholders to call Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai to order.

Nigerian workers not slaves-NLC
The leadership of organised labour has indicted Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai for trying to convert Nigerian workers in the state to slaves.

It has been tales of sorrows, tears and blood from Kaduna State
especially as occasioned by increasing waves of kidnapping, banditry,
general insecurity, mass sack of workers and killing of students
peacefully protesting the hike in school fees at Gidan Waya, Kaduna
State.

This situation is being encouraged by the neo-liberal policies of
the Kaduna State Government.
The Nigeria Labour Congress will not fold its arms and watch a situation
where thousands of workers are sacked with impunity and in clear
violation of the clear provisions of our labour laws. Furthermore, it is
sickening that not being satisfied with destroying the livelihoods of
workers, the state government has graduated to killing students. The
actions of the Kaduna State Government demonstrate complete
contempt to the present and future labour force in Kaduna State.

Workers are not slaves. They have families. They have dependents to
take care of. They have rights! Protecting the rights and dignity of
workers using all lawful means including strike actions falls under the
mandate of the Nigeria Labour Congress. This mandate to protest and
protect the interest of Nigerian workers as enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution.

The President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba in a statement cited the harsh conditions Mr Nasir El-Rufai has pushed workers in the state into as reason for the planned protest.

There is need to put a stop to the megalomaniac pretensions of a man
who claims he was elected to serve the public including workers. El-
Rufai’s crude attack on human and trade union rights is totally
unacceptable.

The crude abuse of power by Mr. Nasir El-Rufai must be stopped now or we risk endangering this democracy. Once again, we restate that Mr. Nasir El-Rufai is power drunk. He needs help and fast!

The statutory notice by Congress effective from June 22, 2021 for a
nationwide withdrawal of services and which has been communicated
to all employers of labour and the ongoing mobilization of all our
structures are all geared towards putting up a firm resistance against
the anti-workers policies of the Kaduna State Governor and his ilk.

“While we continue to request the understanding and maximum
cooperation of the Nigerian public in this struggle to rid our democracy
of tyrants, we wish to posit that the global focus on development is on
human centered approach to recovery and building resilience from the
socio-economic devastations occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The statement read in part: Constitution and Labour laws will be robustly deployed again by Congress in Kaduna State. This time it will be to total and in defense and protection of the rights of Nigerian workers and pensioners whom Mr.Nasir El-Rufai relentlessly seeks to convert to his foot carpet. The Nigeria
Labour Congress will not allow such to thrive in spite of El-Rufai’s
threats some of which border on outright criminality and brigandage.”

According to Wabba, “the threat by a supposed civilian government to use a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to address a pure industrial dispute is totally unprecedented in our history as a country. This latest threat is puerile,outrageous, as well as provocative.”

Still expressing the surprise on how the governor is threatening labour with the same workers in judiciary, the NLC helmsman stated that there is no place in our laws for the intervention of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry into a strictly industrial
relations matter.

This novel descent into the lower crevices of authoritarianism, despotism and tyranny exposes the true colours of
the Governor of Kaduna State – Mr. Nasir El-Rufai as an anti-democrat.

It is curious how Mr. Nasir El-Rufai forgets that in trying to fulfil his well nursed fantasy of nailing labour leaders at all cost, he has accepted the
burden of being both an accuser and Judge in his own matter.

Nigerians are yet to get over the shock of Mr. El-Rufai’s monumental
goof of declaring the President of Congress and other labour leaders
wanted. How insufferable is the fate of justice in the hands of El-Rufai!

“So many legal accidents for an accidental public servant!
It is important to remind Mr. Nasir El-Rufai that a Judicial Panel of Inquiry has no jurisdiction in Nigeria’s labour jurisprudence neither does it have any space of operation under Nigeria’s democracy.”