Fresh Kaduna, Labour Showdown Looms Over Workers’ Sack

*NLC leaders were paid to organise protest against my
government – El-Rufai
*Governor’s allegation laughable – NLC

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) who recently clashed when the Congress went to the
state to protest against the governor’s mass sacking of workers,
are set for a fresh showdown.

El-Rufai yesterday alleged that members of the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) were paid from Abuja to organise the recent protest
against his government’s rightsizing exercise.

He said specifically that he knows those who gave the labour
leaders money to organise the protest and that he will soon expose
them.

The governor, who declared the protest which shutdown
electricity and other sectors of the economy in the state as
illegal, therefore dared the labour movement to come to Kaduna for
a protest.

Reacting to the allegation on Saturday, the Deputy President,
Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, who doubles as the General
Secretary, National Union of Electricity Employees, said: “We can’t
join issues with a serial liar. It is laughable. Is it that the
workers were not sacked by the governor? Is it that he (El-Rufai)
didn’t follow the rules? When you see a man who looks at his
problems as coming from another person, the person is not worthy to
be a man and the head of a family.

“When you initiate a problem; you should be able to stand
it.

“We are still going to Kaduna. He should be ready for us. There
is no amount of blackmail that will stop us, because after our
visit, he has not implemented all that were agreed at the Federal
Ministry of Labour and Employment. And he went ahead to sack some
members of ASUU.

“He can be talking as a parrot but we are going to deal with him
further on these issues. We can’t listen to blackmail. Let him
release his information.”

It would be recalled that NLC was in Kaduna to protest against
the planned mass sack of workers by the state government under the
rightsizing exercise.

But El-Rufai, who made the allegation in a radio interview in
Kaduna on Thursday night, said his government cannot continue to
spend over 80 per cent of its income on payment of salaries.

The Nation had reported that the labour movement commenced a
five day warning strike in Kaduna State, during which supply of
petroleum products, electricity and other social services were cut
off from the State.

The protesting labour members were, on the second day of the
protest, attacked at the popular NEPA roundabout and the protest
was disrupted.

However, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of
Labour and Productivity, intervened on the third day by inviting
the labour and the state government to the negotiation table, a
condition which made the labour leaders to suspend the strike.

Meanwhile, Governor El-Rufai in the Hausa radio chat said his
government was yet to lay off any worker under the rightsizing
exercise, except for political appointees, 99 of whom he has
sacked.

*NLC leaders were paid to organise protest against my
government – El-Rufai
*Governor’s allegation laughable – NLC

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) who recently clashed when the Congress went to the
state to protest against the governor’s mass sacking of workers,
are set for a fresh showdown.

El-Rufai yesterday alleged that members of the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) were paid from Abuja to organise the recent protest
against his government’s rightsizing exercise.

He said specifically that he knows those who gave the labour
leaders money to organise the protest and that he will soon expose
them.

The governor, who declared the protest which shutdown
electricity and other sectors of the economy in the state as
illegal, therefore dared the labour movement to come to Kaduna for
a protest.

Reacting to the allegation on Saturday, the Deputy President,
Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, who doubles as the General
Secretary, National Union of Electricity Employees, said: “We can’t
join issues with a serial liar. It is laughable. Is it that the
workers were not sacked by the governor? Is it that he (El-Rufai)
didn’t follow the rules? When you see a man who looks at his
problems as coming from another person, the person is not worthy to
be a man and the head of a family.

“When you initiate a problem; you should be able to stand
it.

“We are still going to Kaduna. He should be ready for us. There
is no amount of blackmail that will stop us, because after our
visit, he has not implemented all that were agreed at the Federal
Ministry of Labour and Employment. And he went ahead to sack some
members of ASUU.

“He can be talking as a parrot but we are going to deal with him
further on these issues. We can’t listen to blackmail. Let him
release his information.”

It would be recalled that NLC was in Kaduna to protest against
the planned mass sack of workers by the state government under the
rightsizing exercise.

But El-Rufai, who made the allegation in a radio interview in
Kaduna on Thursday night, said his government cannot continue to
spend over 80 per cent of its income on payment of salaries.

The Nation had reported that the labour movement commenced a
five day warning strike in Kaduna State, during which supply of
petroleum products, electricity and other social services were cut
off from the State.

The protesting labour members were, on the second day of the
protest, attacked at the popular NEPA roundabout and the protest
was disrupted.

However, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of
Labour and Productivity, intervened on the third day by inviting
the labour and the state government to the negotiation table, a
condition which made the labour leaders to suspend the strike.

Meanwhile, Governor El-Rufai in the Hausa radio chat said his
government was yet to lay off any worker under the rightsizing
exercise, except for political appointees, 99 of whom he has
sacked.