The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that it would hold a national protest on Monday in Abuja to express displeasure over the alleged use of thugs to attack its members who were on peaceful demonstration at the residence of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.
This is coming as the minister Thursday disclosed that he and his neighbour were considering taking legal action against the NLC over the invasion of their houses by the union.
But the labour movement said that it has demanded for an unconditional apology from Ngige and by extension, the federal government for treatment meted out to the workers during their peaceful protest.
The union said the federal government must come clear on the issues, adding that its continued silence is not helping the situation.
NLC had mobilised its members to picket the private residence of the minister in Asokoro, Abuja on Wednesday, over the continued delay in the inauguration of the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
However, the protest turned bloody when some youths attacked them.
Some of the protesters sustained injuries in the process and were taken to the National Hospital in Abuja for treatment by the NLC.
Addressing journalists Thursday after an emergency meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the NLC, its President, Ayuba Wabba, said the labour movement is demanding the sack of Ngige for antagonising the workers that he is supposed to act as mediator in their disputes.
Wabba said that the meeting has resolved to mobilise workers across the country to assemble in Abuja on Monday for a massive show of solidarity for those wounded during the picketing exercise and to demand for an immediate inauguration of the NSITF board with Frank Kokori as chairman.
He said that about nine workers sustained injuries during the attack on the protesters and were treated at the hospital, while several vehicles were damaged.
“The CWC decided to embark on a national protest on Monday, May 13, in Abuja against the brutalisation of its members during the peaceful protest,” he said.
While defending the action of the NLC to embark on the picketing of the private residence of the minister, rather than his office, Wabba said that the country’s labour laws permit such an act.
“As minister of labour, he knows that there is a clear provision of the law on picketing, lockouts and even strike action and therefore for him to have instead of addressing the issues, descended so low to the extent of using thugs to attack workers who were on a peaceful conduct of the protest, is something that is less than desirable and is anti-workers.
“We were certainly taken aback that a minister who is supposed to uphold our labour laws, has decided to descend so low to violate workers’ right and therefore, we feel he is a square peg in a round hole and is not fit to be in the office,” he added.
The NLC president accused the minister of sponsoring the thugs that attacked the workers during the picketing, adding that “such has never happened in the history of the country, not even during the military era”.
He also accused the security agents that were at the scene of standing aloof and doing nothing to stop the attack by the thugs.
Wabba said the NLC has directed all workers at the various airports, including foreign airports, to embarrass and humiliate the minister and members of his family when they are travelling to serve as a lesson for undermining workers’ right.
Also in a communiqué issued at the end of the CWC meeting, the workers insisted that they conducted themselves peacefully and responsibly and bore nothing other than placards in line with the fine traditions of picketing.
They alleged that in spite of having conducted themselves reasonably well, responsibly and peacefully, Ngige mobilised thugs and hoodlums to attack them using all manner of weapons.
“The CWC further observed that in the course of unleashing this mindless violence, the thugs caused maximum damage to the vehicles of workers, affiliate unions and congress. Congress noted that workers suffered varying degrees of personal losses. CWC also observed that at least nine suffered serious injuries with three admitted at various hospitals.
“The CWC, accordingly, condemned in the strongest terms the use of thugs to break up a peaceful picket guaranteed by the law, adding that it is anti-democratic, repressive and anti-workers. It is also a violation of ILO Conventions and the fundamental right of workers to protest,” said the communique.
The communiqué noted that one of the reasons the minister gave for not inaugurating the board was that he was carrying out an administrative probe of corruption in the organisation.
“The truth however, remains that it was an unnecessary excuse for him to micro-manage the place as well as carry on as the sole administrator of the place for obvious reasons. The CWC wants to put on record that the EFCC has since carried out investigation, taken to court those with cases to answer and secured convictions. Among those convicted is a former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Labour who was a statutory member of NSITF board. No member of organised Labour on the board was found wanting,” the workers explained.
They further restated their demanded that the board of the NSITF be inaugurated with Chief Frank Kokori as chairman.
The workers also demanded for an unconditional and unqualified apology from the government both for what they described as the primitive behaviour of “its minister and its suspicious silence, explaining that whereas the vice president found it necessary to step out of his car to address indigenous communities which were protesting against the forceful acquisition of their land by the military, the minister resorted to recruiting thugs to engage workers”.
