Labour Dispute: NLC Vows To Proceed On Warning Strike In Kaduna

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kaduna State Council has vowed to proceed on its proposed five-day warning strike starting from May 17.

The State Secretary of the council, Comrade Christiana Bawa disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Kaduna.

Bawa, therefore, urged workers in the Kaduna State Civil Service to disregard the government’s circular and threats against the industrial action.

She directed all workers, particularly, teachers, local government workers and their counterparts in state government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to disregard the provocative circular.

Bawa said that the warning strike was aimed at registering their displeasure over the pitiable conditions of workers in the state civil service.

She noted that no worker in the state had a secured job, adding that the state government had in April 2021 arbitrarily sacked no fewer than 4,000 workers without following due process.“

Kaduna State Government sacked over 30,000  workers in 2016 and their entitlements have not been settled,” she said.”

This is the time to tell the world that the state government is anti-workers and wants to destroy the civil service in the name of reform,” she said.

She said that all affiliates of NLC in the state such as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG ) and National Union of Road Transport Workers( NURTW) would join the strike.

Others are the National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria (NUEE), National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institution Employees (NUBIFIE) and National Association of Nurses and Midwives among others.

Bawa said that the national leadership of the NLC led by the President, Comrade Ayuba Waba, would be in the state to ensure full enforcement of the strike.

Recall that the state government had in a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary (Establishments), Office of the Head of Service, Hajia Amina Abdullahi directed workers to discountenance the proposed strike.

The circular titled, ‘Re: NLC to ground all government activities in Kaduna State, was addressed to chief executives of MDAs and others.

The circular read in part:“ Sequel to a notice dated May 10, 2021, by the NLC on the above subject, I am directed to request you to inform civil servants in your MDAs and other arms of government to disregard the notice.”

“You are further requested to ensure strict compliance to the signing of the attendance register as such registers would be submitted to the Office of the Head of Service for necessary action,” Abdullahi said.

NAN