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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has begun an indefinite strike vowing the shut down of amenities in Imo State over the alleged ill-treatment of workers by the state government.
It also charged the Federal Government to deploy all means at its disposal to protect lives of citizens and workers in the state.
The union in a statement by its President, Joe Ajaero entitled: ‘Before Imo State becomes a ghost state’ said the state has almost made it seem a criminal offence to be a worker, and the industrial action l targets paralysing all amenities in the state.
‘The government of Imo State has become a serial abuser and violator of the rights and privileges of its workers. It has deliberately turned the state into the most uncomfortable clime for workers in Nigeria…Consequently, in pursuit of our legitimate strike action to restore sanity to the state’s industrial relations sphere, we wish to advise that: those travelling to Imo State through the Airport to look for other alternatives those that make use of petroleum products should make efforts to seek alternatives and, those that use electricity to seek other options outside the national grid.’
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Ajaero lamented that citizens’ engagements with the government are almost non-existent while participation in social life is petering to nothing, adding that moving around the state required extra caution as a heavy pall of gloom seems to have enveloped the state. texter
The NLC president condemned the deployment of security agencies against workers in the state last Thursday as they assembled peacefully to conduct the state delegates conference of the congress.
‘As we had pledged, we cannot fold our hands and watch the state turn into a camp of horror and a ghost state because of the irresponsible actions of some operatives bequeathed with the powers of state. The use of instruments of state as weapons to terrorize workers and the people cannot be accepted in sane engagements and it is only by the action of responsible organisations like ours and other patriotic individuals that such perfidy could be stopped.’
Ajaero listed several anti-workers activities by the state government, among them 20 months salary arrears owed to some workers, declaration of about 11,000 workers in the state as ghost workers even while they were physically at work, and diversion of their salaries, intimidation, and harassment of trade union leaders, a witch hunt carried out in different guises, and continued use of thugs and instrument of violence against workers in the state.
