Cruel Anti-Workers Policy Fuels Insecurity In Kaduna, Says Falana SAN

THE Interim National Chairman of the Alliance On Surviving
COVID-19 And Beyond (ASCAB) Femi Falana has said the insecurity in
Kaduna state was a result of the unprecedented anti-workers policy
of the state government.

Falana said this in a statement on Sunday titled ‘Solidarity and
Unity Against Retrenchments in Kaduna State’ over the proposed
five-day strike in Kaduna State by the Nigeria Labour Congress
(NLC).

According to Falana, the uncontrolled insecurity in the state
was the ’harvest’ or product of the State’s anti-labour
policies.

Falana, who is also a Human Rights Lawyer and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria, said the governor of the state Nasir El-Rufai rather than
seeking to address the economic decline in the state, chose to
retrench about 60,000 public sector workers.

“The level of insecurity in Kaduna State today is a function of
unprecedented, cruel anti-workers policy of the Kaduna State
Government including repeated mass layoffs,” Falana said.

He further argued that loss of incomes and livelihood makes
people desperate for survival.

Declaring the support of ASCAB on the strike action, Falana said
firm action was needed to reverse the massive attacks on jobs and
poverty-induced insecurity in Kaduna State.

He noted that even though the Kaduna State may be borrowing from
China, the World Bank to fund urban renewal, it is also illegally
‘borrowing’ from its workers to fund almost all of its capital
expenditure.

“The mass retrenchments and ‘borrowings’ from wages have almost
certainly had a detrimental effect on security in the state. It
cannot be a coincidence that the state with the highest level of
sackings also has one of the worst insecurity records,” the
statement read.

The Human rights lawyer further said ASCAB welcomes the action
of the trade unions while calling on all trade unionists in Kaduna
and across the country to ensure the success of the strike
actions.

The NLC is set to commence five-day strike action in the state
which would cripple all economic activities in the state.

Responding to the declared strike action, the Kaduna State
government via series of tweets on Saturday said the government
would not subject its policy to veto of a ‘mob’.

The government argued that the state government promotes the
welfare of public servants within the larger context of general
public welfare adding that it would implement its decision to
‘rightsize’ the State’s public service.

The government boasted that it was the first to pay the minimum
wage, and also pays minimum pension of N30,000 monthly, as well as
fund its contributory pension scheme and has paid over N13bn
inherited arrears of gratuity and death benefits over five
years.

“Given the patchy level of compliance with the new minimum wage
across the country, how come it is the same Kaduna State that
blazed the trail in paying it and has continued paying it at both
state and local government levels that some trade unionists are
consistently traducing,?” the state government said.

The declared strike action is set to commence tomorrow across
the state as workers would down tools in protest of the
retrenchment.

THE Interim National Chairman of the Alliance On Surviving
COVID-19 And Beyond (ASCAB) Femi Falana has said the insecurity in
Kaduna state was a result of the unprecedented anti-workers policy
of the state government.

Falana said this in a statement on Sunday titled ‘Solidarity and
Unity Against Retrenchments in Kaduna State’ over the proposed
five-day strike in Kaduna State by the Nigeria Labour Congress
(NLC).

According to Falana, the uncontrolled insecurity in the state
was the ’harvest’ or product of the State’s anti-labour
policies.

Falana, who is also a Human Rights Lawyer and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria, said the governor of the state Nasir El-Rufai rather than
seeking to address the economic decline in the state, chose to
retrench about 60,000 public sector workers.

“The level of insecurity in Kaduna State today is a function of
unprecedented, cruel anti-workers policy of the Kaduna State
Government including repeated mass layoffs,” Falana said.

He further argued that loss of incomes and livelihood makes
people desperate for survival.

Declaring the support of ASCAB on the strike action, Falana said
firm action was needed to reverse the massive attacks on jobs and
poverty-induced insecurity in Kaduna State.

He noted that even though the Kaduna State may be borrowing from
China, the World Bank to fund urban renewal, it is also illegally
‘borrowing’ from its workers to fund almost all of its capital
expenditure.

“The mass retrenchments and ‘borrowings’ from wages have almost
certainly had a detrimental effect on security in the state. It
cannot be a coincidence that the state with the highest level of
sackings also has one of the worst insecurity records,” the
statement read.

The Human rights lawyer further said ASCAB welcomes the action
of the trade unions while calling on all trade unionists in Kaduna
and across the country to ensure the success of the strike
actions.

The NLC is set to commence five-day strike action in the state
which would cripple all economic activities in the state.

Responding to the declared strike action, the Kaduna State
government via series of tweets on Saturday said the government
would not subject its policy to veto of a ‘mob’.

The government argued that the state government promotes the
welfare of public servants within the larger context of general
public welfare adding that it would implement its decision to
‘rightsize’ the State’s public service.

The government boasted that it was the first to pay the minimum
wage, and also pays minimum pension of N30,000 monthly, as well as
fund its contributory pension scheme and has paid over N13bn
inherited arrears of gratuity and death benefits over five
years.

“Given the patchy level of compliance with the new minimum wage
across the country, how come it is the same Kaduna State that
blazed the trail in paying it and has continued paying it at both
state and local government levels that some trade unionists are
consistently traducing,?” the state government said.

The declared strike action is set to commence tomorrow across
the state as workers would down tools in protest of the
retrenchment.