Kaduna: ILAW, Centre for Labour Studies back NLC on strike

Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja

The International Lawyers Assisting Workers (ILAW) and Centre for Labour Studies (CLS) have unconditionally and totally given their support to the NLC strike which commenced today, May 17 in Kaduna State against the obnoxious anti-worker policies and the subsequent mass sack of workers.

In a separate statement issued by both groups, their leadership condemned in strong terms the sacking of workers in Kaduna State and the threat by the State Goverment to sack more workers in the coming days.

On behalf of ILAW, Adesina Oke said the conduct of the government is an affront to law, morality and well-being of the affected workers with grave security implications for the entire country.

“The mass sack and proposed sack are defective legally and procedurally in light of the terms and conditions governing their employment and disengagement.

“We are afraid, the motivations of the Kaduna State Goverment are ill-informed, uncharitable, defective and counter-productive.

“Progressive or insightful governments around the world in this covid era are focused on saving or creating jobs and not destroying existing ones.

“In light of this, we urge Mallam El-Rufai to avert his mind to this truth by recalling unfairly sacked workers as well as put on hold further mass sack, else he would have unwittenly written himself into the history of the damned.

“In pursuance of this, we declare our unequivocal support for the protest/strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress in Kaduna State starting on Monday, May 17, 2021.

“We accordingly urge our members across the country to mobilise to Kaduna to render services as may be required by circumstances.”

On his part, the Director, Centre for Labour Studies (CLS), Femi Aborisade, while strongly opposing what he described as obnoxious anti-worker policies by the state government, called on all trade unions and pro-labour civil society and human rights organizations to join forces with NLC in the proposed strike in Kaduna State.

According to him, the obnoxious anti-worker policies includes; arbitrary and illegal declaration of redundancies; premature compulsory retirement of all officers on grade levels 14 and above, officers who are 50 years and above, and officers who have been in service for 30 years or more; conversion of permanent employees on grade levels 1-6 to casual workers status and stoppage of pension for pensioners who have earned pension for 5 to 10 years but ‘have refused to die’.

“The right to pension is a constitutionally guaranteed right, which is also guaranteed in the civil and public service rules in Kaduna State.

For the avoidance of any doubt, Rule 02809 of the Kaduna State Government Public Service Rules (2005) and Part II, Regulation 10(3)(c) at page 34 of the Unified Local Government Service Staff Regulations (2012), provide that “the compulsory retirement age for all grades in the service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service, whichever is earlier.

“Nigeria is a country based on a written Constitution. The Courts have held that Public/Civil Service Rules, made pursuant to the Constitution, have constitutional flavor. Governance by the whims and caprice of Mr. Governor is not compatible in a modern State.

“All other unions, including the TUC, should unite and join forces with the NLC to defeat the unitary ideology in industrial relations and the vicious war on workers’ rights being waged by the Kaduna State Government.

Otherwise, other State Governments would emulate the draconian and wicked labour policies and practices in Kaduna State and workers’ rights in other states nationally would come under severe threat.”