Uzodimma, labour’s unending face-off in Imo
Since the assumption of 59-year-old former army officer, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who hails from Emekuku in Owerri North LGA of Imo state as the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) there has been no love lost between the organised labour and the state government. The face-off has culminated in labour unrest leading to two work-to-rule actions.
Ajaero was elected the national president of NLC on consensus at the 13th national delegates’ conference of the union in Abuja on February 8, 2023 and since then he had been a thorn in the flesh of the government of his state.
The first labour unrest in Imo State under Ajaero came barely one month after his assumption. Taking advantage of the botched delegates’ conference of the union on March 7, which would have replaced the Austin Chilakpu-led executive, NLC and the Trade Union Congress directed all workers in the state to embark on indefinite strike. The election threw up two candidates – Rev. Dr Nwansi Philip, said to be a protégé of the state government and Mr George Ofoegbu, who was favoured by the national leadership of the union.
While declaring the strike, Ajaero, in a statement, accused officials of the state government of disrupting its state congress and unleashing mayhem on workers, who were exercising their rights to elect their leaders.
According to him, the union has instructed its state councils across Nigeria to prepare for the state delegates’ conference for the election of new leadership but that Uzodimma “sought to influence the outcome of the elections in the state, by offering gratifications to the delegates to vote for his chosen candidates.
“This meddlesomeness was resisted by the delegates who refused the unholy offerings and baits to vote for their chosen candidates.
“When it was obvious to the government and their goons that their stooges were going to overwhelmingly lose in the elections, thugs who were armed to the teeth, descended on the delegates inflicting various degrees of injuries on them, chasing them away and carting away materials meant for the conduct of the elections that were supposed to be at the heart of the conference.”
The union also demanded payment of 20-month salary arrears to some workers who were tagged ghost workers.
The strike, which was declared in the heat of the currency swap, which disrupted economic and social activities, almost brought the state economy to its knees. Most of those affected were small businesses as the state was under total blackout for more than a week.
The strike was called off on March 15 after an intervention by well-meaning citizens of the state as well as the need to avoid disruption of the March 18 State Assembly elections.
Two months after, the state was again embroiled in another labour unrest. Unlike the first one, citizens of the state living outside also got a raw taste from the strike.
On May 1, some agents of the Imo State government were alleged to have disrupted the May Day rally being staged by the George Ofoegbu faction at the labour secretariat in New Owerri. TUC and NLC consequently called out workers for another strike
In a statement jointly signed by Emmanuel Ugboaja, NLC General Secretary, and Nuhu Toro, TUC Secretary General, the labour unions alleged that “the violent disruption” of the celebration was caused by statesponsored thugs.
The organised labour alleged that some workers sustained injuries as a result of the attack, and accused the Imo government of “grossly violating the rules of engagement”.
This time around, the organised labour picketed the only airport in the state preventing the take-off and landing of flights at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport. Many passengers were stranded at various airports in the country.
Since the industrial disharmony the two sides have been trying to rationalise their respective actions.
The government has accused Ajaero of using the union to actualise a political agenda in the state.
Declan Emelumba, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, said the government has classified information indicating that Ajaero was in a secret agreement with some collaborators to use his office to actualise the governorship ambition of one of his kinsmen.
According to him, an agreement was reached three weeks ago at Emekuku in Owerri North LGA, where Ajaero agreed to work to destabilise the administration of Governor Uzodimma.
According to the Commissioner the said relative had already picked the form of one of the political parties for his ambition.
He said at the meeting another relative of Ajaero and the governorship aspirant was selected as the arrowhead of the battle as the new NLC chairman in the state.
“From information available to us, the strike declared by
Ajaero is derived from the Emekuku agreement and, therefore, politically motivated. Also, to ensure that the plot succeeds at all costs, Ajaero has been moving from one labour leader to the other lobbying for support,” Emelumba alleged.
He said it was because of the haste to activate the implementation of the agreement that Ajaero threw all caution to the wind by unilaterally imposing a caretaker NLC chairman on the state and declaring strike without any notice to the state government as demanded by Labour laws.
But the labour union accused the commissioner of peddling falsehood.
Ajaero said the state government had deliberately terrorised the residents through some negative actions of operatives endowed with the state’s powers.
The NLC boss alleged that the Imo State government had turned the once-prided “Eastern Heartland” into a toxic and highly unpleasant environment.
However, the dramatis personae in the Imo imbroglio – Nwanshi and Ofoegbu – have been at pains to explain their roles in the strike. Nwanshi said there was no strike in the state and advised workers to go about their work without any fear.
Ofoegbu, on the other hand, said he was the only recognised chairman of the caretaker committee of state NLC and asked workers to heed the advice of the national leadership of the union.
However, not a few people have agreed with the organized labour that state of affairs in Imo have provided any avenue for any form of industrial harmony in the state.
Many pointed to the unending biometric capture of data of civil servants and how many of them have ended up without salaries for months. There had also been daily lamentations by pensioners and other categories of workers, especially at the local government, complaining of non-payment of their entitlements.
FCC Jones Onwuasoanya, a political activist, is of the opinion that Uzodimma and his administration have turned the state into a war zone.
According to him, the impasse between government and organised labour might be a deliberate political gimmick to set himself on good stead for re-election in the November 11 poll.
He said the recent attack on workers during the May Day celebration was part of actions by the state government to destabilize the labour movement and pave way for the emergence of his cronies at the helm of affairs to achieve his re-election. He pointed to the endorsement of his re-election by a faction of the union as a pointer to this
While describing the recent strike as “highly unavoidable,” Onwuasoanya said, “The Labour union had given the Imo State government enough time to address its numerous antiworkers antics, but instead of taking steps to resolve these pending issues, the governor allegedly sent thugs and his private militia to harass the workers during their May Day celebration.
Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), James Okoroma, however advised Uzodimma to handle the labour face-off with tact and mutual respect to ensure industrial harmony in the state.
While condemning the alleged attack on workers, which has led to the recent face-off, he noted that the constant conflict between the state government and NLC is retarding the development of the state.
Ori Martins, a journalist and commentator on national affairs said, ‘’Whatever is the root cause of the rift must be settled between the two bodies. The Imo State Government must stop interfering with labour or union issues for peace, order and normalcy to be achieved.
“On the other hand, the NLC members being used to disrupt the activities union must desist from such action.’’