NLC strike grounds Kaduna as El-Rufai remains adamant
The first day of a 5-day warning strike embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kaduna State, recorded mass disruption of economic and social activities as banks, schools, hospitals, railways and other essential services remained shut.
The state also recorded the second day of blackout yesterday since electricity supply was cut off in the early hours of Sunday.
The labour unions had declared the strike action as a way of compelling Governor Nasir El-Rufai to reverse the recent mass sack of civil servants in the state.
Daily Trust reports that at least 14 affiliated unions of the NLC including the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria (NUEE), National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers among others joined the procession of the strike, which started from NLC secretariat in Kaduna at 7 am chanted solidarity songs, displaying placards with various inscriptions.
Other unions that joined the procession include the National Association of Nurses and Midwives, Aviation workers Union, Construction Union, National Union of Local Government Employees among others. The aviation unions under the aegis of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) were also part of the strike action.
Enforcement officers of the unions had locked up the gates of Kaduna State secretariat as well as other premises housing civil servants including the Obasanjo House on Monday morning. The secretariat was later forced open by security agencies even though civil servants, who were caught between the fears of disobeying the government or the labour unions, only loitered about.
There was heavy security presence at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Monday as Daily Trust observed men of the Police Operation Yaki units, soldiers, Kaduna State Vigilante Service (KADVIS) and the Federal Road Service
Corps (FRSC) were deployed at the main gate of the Government House.
Addressing members of the unions at the NLC secretariat, the National President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, emphasised that there will be no retreat nor surrender by the organised labour to ensure their demands are acceded to by the governor.
“The decision has been communicated to all security agencies of the government. It is the beginning of the struggle of labour and we hope our politicians will cooperate with us to ensure we protect our democracy by delivering its dividends to the citizens including workers.”
Wabba disclosed that more than 90 per cent of Nigerians are living in abject poverty, which was why insecurity and other social vices have increased in the country.
According to him: “Organised labour is in Kaduna to tell the world the truth of what the workers, pensioners, students and other citizens in the state are going through besides the lies being peddled by media platforms on ElRufai’s payroll.
“The situation of the workers in the state is so pathetic that thousands of them have been laid off from their sources of livelihood without the state government making any effort to pay them their entitlements.
“Worst still, El-Rufai has gone further to increase school fees in public state school thereby making the children of those sacked from their working place without payment to become dropouts.”
The labour leader lamented that workers in the state were being sacked from their jobs without following due process, adding that no constituted labour union was contacted by Governor El-Rufai before taking the action.
“It is only Kaduna State out of the other states in the country that throws workers out of their jobs without any regards for the labour law and that is why we are here,” he said.
He explained that political elites are elected to respect the law of the land and uphold the provisions of the land, lamenting, “Here, we have a governor that is not respecting the law but violating the law with impunity. He has sacked thousands of workers in the state. Over 20,000 workers in the state have not been paid their April salary.
“The unfortunate downsizing of workforce in Kaduna State was not done in accordance with the statutory Labour law, with the keen examination of its activities from 2017 till date, over 50, 000 workers were affected.”
Our correspondent reports that the procession of affiliated labour unions led by the NLC president marched through Independence Way to the Kaduna State House of Assembly chanting solidarity songs but they met a deserted House of Assembly. The procession caused heavy traffic gridlock as motorists pushed their way through the crowd to get to their destinations.
It was business as usual for Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai even as labour officials went around the metropolis to enforce compliance with the strike action.
The governor had tweeted that the state’s Commissioner for Local Government, Ja’afaru Sani was to appear Monday morning on Channels TV where he insisted that the state government pays minimum wage. At 1 pm, ElRufai tweeted that the state’s Executive Council was holding its regular weekly meeting with himself presiding but did not mention the strike action.
The state government last night asked all workers from level 14 and above to resume work or face sanctions.
A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the governor, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye warned that “government is documenting all these violations of the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Trade Union Act.”
He said the Kaduna State Government has noted that the conditions that compelled its decision to right-size its work force have not been altered by the NLC’s “campaign of economic and social sabotage”.
He pointed out that government’s resolve “is only reinforced by the desperate actions undertaken by the NLC to unlawful trespass on government facilities, and prevent officers from signing attendance registers.”
He added that, “Despite these actions, the state government has guaranteed access to the State Secretariat and other government offices.
“The government intends to continue running its operations in service to the people, despite the futile efforts of the NLC to impede it.
Adekeye said the government welcomed the visit by leaders of the Trade Union Congress to the Head of Service, BariatuY. Mohammed. Hajiya Bariatu has reported on the constructive attitude of the TUC delegation led by Barrister Musa Lawal, its Secretary-General,’’ he said.
He said the TUC team included Comrade Isa Mohammed of PENGASSAN, Comrade Bulama Haruna, Comrade Ebere Okpara, Comrade Yunusa Zubairu, Comrade Aliyu Yunusa and members of the Kaduna State Executive of the TUC.
Residents of Kaduna State were yesterday stranded at various banks and the train station at Rigasa, which remained closed following the 5-day warning strike.
Our correspondents report that though the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees have decided to join the strike, bank staff remained within the banking halls even though services were suspended.
A customer at one of the banks, Mustapha Mohammed, said he came to the bank for documentation but was not able to do so due to the strike action. “It was inconvenient for me to come all the way from Millennium City only to find that the banks were closed. But then, what can I do since they are fighting for their rights? The government should see the need to call for a consensus,” he said.
On her part, Ladi Bulus, who came to the bank to pay her children’s school fees urged the government to have a listening ear to bring a quick end to the situation.
“I was so frustrated when I came to the bank and saw it was closed. Since last week, I have been trying to pay the fees but due to the queue in and out of the bank, I have not been able to do so. I thought with the strike, the crowd will be less unknown to me, the banks will not open,” she lamented.
At the Rigasa train station, our correspondent observed that a few passengers who bought tickets online to board the 10 am train were stranded when they were told that the railway services have been suspended due to the ongoing strike action.
However, the passengers were told by the management that their tickets remained valid as long as they use them on the day the strike action is called off.
One of the passengers who preferred to remain anonymous said he had bought the ticket around 9 pm on Sunday hoping to resume work in Abuja Monday morning. He said though he was aware of the strike action and was oblivious of the fact that it would affect federal government agencies and parastatals.
“If they knew they were going to join the strike action then the Nigeria Railway Corporation should have blocked all ticket sales, but to allow us to buy tickets when they know there is no room for refund is extortion.”
Major government hospitals across Kaduna metropolis were shut down on Monday following the ongoing strike action in the state. Our reporter who visited Yusuf Dantsoho General Hospital and Barau Dikko Teaching hospital in Kaduna observed that the hospital premises were deserted and patients who had medical needs were left stranded.
As at 9:40 am at Yusuf Dantsoho General Hospital, Daily Trust observed that the consulting rooms were locked, male and female wards were also locked while patients on admission were said to have been discharged on Sunday. The hospital staff were seen in groups within the premises as they discussed the situation while others sat under a tree at the entrance gate.
A patient who identified her name as Maman Aisha said she had brought her granddaughter who recently had surgery for a medical