A FORMER vice president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Isa Tijjani, has expressed disappointment with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over its recent strike action and called for an investigation into the actions, which he deemed criminal and in violation of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.
Tijjani, who was also a former national deputy president of the National Union of Petroleum Workers (NUPENG), in a statement, condemned the strike’s violent tactics, describing them as “treasonable felony.”
He alleged that the striking labour leaders engaged in forceful eviction of citizens from their offices, employed arm-twisting tactics and shut down the national grid, causing harm to the economy and citizens.
Tijjani stated: “We are miffed by the apparent treasonable felony committed by the striking Labour leaders in bringing down the national grid, stopping citizens from going about their legitimate businesses, forceful eviction of law abiding citizens from their offices and employment of force and arm-twisting tactics on people to abide by the strike. All these should be investigated and appropriate actions taken.
“Agitations for minimum wage is a legitimate right, however, the means and method used in undertaking the strike is not only unfair, but criminal and against rectified ILO conventions, which is aimed at protecting essential service sectors in any given economy from such disruption.
“Our earlier caution against using the congress as a platform for partisan politics has gone unheeded and the consequences are here for all to see.
“The penchant to opt for strike as the first option in settling labour disputes is inimical even to the interest of workers in whose name the strike was embarked upon in the first place.
“This demonstrate lack of seriousness and deep reflection on the side of Congress leadership for always swinging into acting before they think. Such actions are inimical to well know norms and practices of the Labour movement and should be stopped forthwith.
“We want to highlight Joe Ajaero’s actions, which are aimed at dragging the Congress into muddy waters of ethnicity, political partisanship and self-aggrandisement, which has been there for long.”
