•Oil workers, Food Union ask members to prepare for nationwide strike
The Nigeria LabourCongress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart have given a November 8, strike notice to the Federal Government over Wednesday’s attacks, abduction and battering of NLC President, Joe Ajaero, among others
Leaders of NLC and TUC at a briefing Friday, gave the Federal Government a six-points demands including the immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police, Imo State and Area Commander, among other officials for the alleged complicity in the brutalisation and humiliation of Ajaero and other workers.
They warned that if their demands were not met by November 8, both NLC and TUC would declare nationwide industrial actions that would be agreed at upcoming Tuesday joint National Executive Council, NEC meeting.
Recall that suspected agents of the state and security operatives had descended on Ajaero alongside other Labour leaders smashing their vehicles, inflicting injuries on them and dispossessing them of handsets, money, ATM cards among other valuables when they gathered at the NLC State secretariat to begin a scheduled protest over pending labour issues.
The NLC President, other national leaders of NLC and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, were at the state Secretariat in Owerri to protest among other grievances backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances, Pensions, gratuities and non-compliance with National Minimum Wage Act.
The attack, brutalization and the battering of Ajaero elicited outrage and condemnation across the country.
At a joint briefing yesterday in Abuja, Deputy Presidents of NLC and TUC, Prince Adewale Adeyanju and Dr Tommy Okon, respectively, demanded that “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command; Cp Ahmed Barde should be investigated and deployed out of Imo State for his serial complicitous and unprofessional behaviour and conduct immediately.
“The Area Commander of the Nigeria Police Force through whom the Police Commissioner supervised the brutalisation and humiliation of Comrade Ajaero and other workers be relieved of his office and stripped of his commission. “Mr Nwaneri Chinasa, Adviser on Special Duties who supervised the terror on workers and bestial brutality meted out to Congress President; Comrade Joe Ajaero be arrested immediately and prosecuted for his crimes against workers and the President.
“An immediate, independent and unbiased thorough professional medical examination of Comrade Ajaero in light of the physical and psychological injuries inflicted on him.
“Other workers and journalists subjected to this inhuman treatment by the Police and state sponsored thugs be treated by the State and all the properties lost be restored immediately.
“All the outstanding Industrial Relations issues as previously agreed with the Imo state Government be implemented immediately. All the outstanding Industrial Relations issues as previously agreed with the Imo state Government be implemented immediately.
“We further resolved that in the event the Government fails to comply with any or all of the conditions above-stated, NLC, TUC and their affiliates will no longer guarantee industrial peace in Nigeria beginning Wednesday the 8th of November, 2023 while a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the two Labour Centres will meet to decide on the next course of action.
Recalling the events of last week Wednesday, they lamented that, “Ajaero was blind folded, beaten to a pulp, brutalised, humiliated, and violated by the police personnel and taken to an unknown destination where he was subjected to more battering and torture as well as threatened with death before help came his way via the
