Nlc on indefinite strike in Enugu State

“HAVE you made up your mind to move with us? Have you accepted that the Chime wage, which you have taken, should serve as bonuses?”

With these words and a repeated thunderous “yes” from the protesting workers, the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday declared an indefinite strike in Enugu State.

Yesterday, activities in the state capital were shut down as thousands of protesting workers marched round the streets before they were addressed by the national leadership.

In a swift response however, the state government urged the workers to ignore “such an ill-motivated directive by the NLC and continue with their duties because external forces
acting out the scripts of people envious of the peace and progress in the state will not be allowed to dictate how we shall function as a state on a non-existent issue.”

State Commissioner for Information, Chuks Ugwuoke in a statement said the government has approved N18,500 as the minimum wage payable in the state in accordance with the new minimum wage law and had adjusted the salary of workers in April and July last year.

The leadership of the workers union led by the national president, Abdulwaheed Omar and his Trade Union counterpart (TUC) Peter Eselle, said the decision to start immediate total and indefinite strike in Enugu State was borne by the refusal of the Governor Sullivan Chime-led administration to implement the new minimum wage of N18,000, which had been passed into law by the Federal Government.

Leading other members of the executive and thousands of workers drawn from the state, Anambra, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom states, who were bearing green leaves and singing anti-government songs, Omar declared that the strike was total as electricity, airport, banks, schools, markets, petrol supply and transport operations would be severed in the state from today (Friday).

But even before the declaration, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), banks, fuel and filling stations had already severed their services, prompting residents into panic transactions especially at the few operating fuel stations.
However, an over three hour supremacy war had earlier broken out between the labour leaders and Chime, as the governor had engaged armed soldiers and policemen to condone off the Gold Value hotel premises, where the labour leaders were lodged thereby preventing them from leaving the hotel premises.

While the security operatives refused people from gaining access or leaving the hotel premises including other guests, hundreds of suspects government hirelings bearing pro-Chime placards sang and danced round the area and in the process molested female labour activists.

It took the intervention of the Presidency and Ministry of Defence, who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the security operatives from the area before the labour leaders could start their rally.

A police armored carrier (APC) was also deployed at the secretariat apparently to ward off the protesting workers.

General Secretary of the NLC, Owei Lakemfa, who narrated the ordeal of the visiting labour leaders in the hands of the security operatives, said it was the intervention of the Presidency that led to the withdrawal of the armed soldiers from the hotel premises.

He said: “This morning, as we were preparing to come and address the rally of the workers, we were surrounded by armed soldiers and policemen. When we wanted to go out, they pointed their guns at us not to step out. It was then that we started making calls; we called the Presidency and Ministry of Defence. They apologised to us and expressed shock that soldiers were on the streets of Enugu. Five minutes after, the soldiers were withdrawn, but just before we left, we discovered that his (Governor Chime) thugs were everywhere round the hotel and harassing our female members. It is unfortunate that Chime still uses thugs and to us he is a chief thug”.

Explaining that four of the suspected thugs were arrested by the Police, Lakemfa demanded that they should be charged to court, stressing that, “if we discover that the government will block the process of justice, we will demand that they be taken to Abuja by the Inspector-General of Police for prosecution”.

He said the suspected thugs were “terrorists” and should be treated as such by the law of the land.

On the entourage of the national delegation to Enugu also were National Secretary of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Joe Ajaero; Deputy President, Kiri Mohammed as well as state chairmen of the Anambra, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom states.

Omar explained that Enugu State government’s refusal to implement the new minimum wage was deliberate, stressing that the government has refused to dialogue with the workers but has rather employed intimidation in what ordinarily should be their inalienable right.

“We have received reports from various parts of the country where the government has implemented the new minimum wage and just on Monday, we received the report that Nasarawa has implemented the new wage. What we are witnessing in Enugu is that Enugu wants to be isolated and we say, no. We are fully prepared for whatever battle in Enugu and nothing will make us renege”, he said.

The labour leader disclosed that it had earlier given the state government two weeks ultimatum to fully implement the new wage, stressing that while the ultimatum which expired Wednesday night lasted, the state government did nothing to dialogue with the workers on the issue.

Adding that the national leadership had fully taken over negotiations on the new wage, he told the workers to regard, “whatever you have received so far from government as bonuses and not the new minimum wage”, stressing that the state government had already made up its mind on the new wage.

“Therefore, on behalf of labour movement in Nigeria, there will be an indefinite strike action in Enugu from now; it is not an ordinary strike, all essential duties will be cut off, no light as we have been assured that Enugu will no longer get supply. Banks will close, no business will operate, road transporters will not operate, there will be no aircraft from tomorrow (today) from Enugu, no schools, no petroleum supply to the state from tomorrow (today). Enugu has elected somebody who feels he is not responsible to the people”, Omar said.
Apologizing to the residents of the state on the hardship the strike could bring, Omar urged them to hold the state government responsible for their pains, stressing that the law must take its course.

The government statement reads: “The attention of the Enugu State government has been drawn to the reports that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has ordered workers in
the state to embark on an indefinite strike action over the implementation of the minimum wage. This is, to say the least, uncalled for and quite unfortunate. It beats the imagination why the labour leaders should give such a directive even when it is on record that the Enugu State Government remains the only one in the geo-political zone to have fully complied with the implementation of the payment of the minimum wage. The
implementation was reflected in the payment of the workers’ salaries for the month of August and this is verifiable

“As a matter of fact, Governor Sullivan Chime had even approved N18,500
as the minimum wage payable in the state. Furthermore, in the implementation of the minimum wage law, the salary of every civil servant in the state was also upwardly adjusted, just as the administration has paid the April to July arrears of the minimum wage.

“Therefore, the issue at stake cannot be about the payment of the minimum wage. Government urges the workers to ignore such an ill-motivated directive by the NLC and continue with their duties because external forces acting out the scripts of people envious of the peace and progress in the state will not be allowed to dictate how we shall function as a state on a non-existent issue.

“The Enugu State government will continue to pay priority attention to the welfare of its workforce and that explains why it is the fourth state in the federation to have implemented the National Health Insurance Scheme. Government shall remain open to negotiation as a civilised way to resolving whatever grey areas with the workforce.”