..Says there’ll nationwide strike if el-rufai fail to reverse sacked
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
National President.of Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) Comrade Ayuba Wabba has accused kaduna state Governor Mall Nasir El-rufai of telling lies on Union leaders, saying the strike will go national national if el-rufai refused to reversed his decision at the expiration of five days warning strke.
He disclosed this while speaking to the mamot striking civil servants in kaduna, on Monday at the commencement of the five days warning strike over sacking of workers in the state without allegedly following the labour laws proceedure.
Speaking further to the striking workers, the president said
“El-rufai claimed that the union leadership were informed of all the sacking.
He said “The union leadership are here and have issued formal statement to say that, that statement made by the government is false.
“As we speaks, all leadership of public sector union in kaduna state are here. Each of the union affected by this Neo-liberal policy of throwing workers out of job without respecting the provision of labour laws.
“The labours laws are very explicitly. But we are here in kaduna, the only state in the 36 States of the country that throwns out his workers without respecting the provisions of our laws.
“And that’s why we’re hear.
“Political elite are elected to respect the law of the land. Infact, they swore to upholds the provisions of our laws. But hear we’re, a governor is not respecting the law but he violated the law with impunity.
“He claims he did not sack workers when a commissioner was interviewed this morning.
“He could not say was exactly the number of workers asked but we’ve the figure. The first leg of sacked LG workers were N5000, the second leg was 200.
“We’re also aware that in the state primary health care development agency, N1700 were sacked currently, he said.
He also lamented that “In
SUBEB, 4,000 workers were sacked. We’re also aware that 11,000 workers list is ready for sack.
“He claims he has not reverted minimum wage to 18. Out of 31,000 workers in the state, he did not pay 20,000 of them in April salary.
“In LGs, those he paid 3 days ago was 18,000. Those workers are here to confirm.
Students are also here, after throwing their parents out of jobs, he increased school fees by 1000 percent. I also had from good authority that 70 percent of the KASU students are indigene of the state.
“They are children of workers, pensioners, petty traders yet they are out of school because they cannot pay the school fees. Is it not the the same governor that benefited from public school up to University.
“What kind of system do we want to run. And they are complaining there’s insecurity in the land . How can we not have insecurity.
“We’ve on record those 21,000 teachers he sack two years ago, were not paid. And if he’s claiming, he has paid them, I’ll invite them tomorrow, all of them to be here with their letter’s. This is where we’re.
“While should public officers, especially people that are expected to hold governance in trust now lying to the public, that’s why we are here.
“He claimed he invited NLC for a meeting yesterday and we declined his calls. It’s false let him tell the public how we’re invited, it’s false. We were never invited.
“Late, In the night around 9pm, somebody calls me and said he want us to come for a meeting. I said please can you forward formally. And he later called and say the meeting will no longer hold.
“I recorded it, the conversation, the number and I can inform all the public. How can government that earned the trust of the people, to be elected, now be the one decieving the people”, he said, describing el-rufai government as tyrant.
The industry action grounded the state dry of movement and paralysed business across the State.
The procession of the members visited the state assembly but were lock out as police security and other security were beef up at the entrance.
All the national Union’s official were present at the secretariat where the strike was declared. End
