The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has ordered it members to stage a protest in Imo State.
The protest is set for Wednesday, November 1, ten days before the gubernatorial election in the state.
Ajaero revealed this during a press briefing held on Sunday at the Labour House in Abuja, stating that the Congress has already commenced mass mobilisation of its members across affiliate unions for the showdown in Owerri.
He added that Labour was deeply concerned about the persistent and egregious violations of the rights and privileges of workers in the state by the Imo state government.
He lamented that despite repeated efforts to engage in constructive dialogue and reach amicable agreements, the Imo State Government has become a habitual and serial breaker of these agreements.
Ajaero accused the Imo State government of neglecting workers’ welfare and violating the rights of the Nigerian workers in the state.
He also alleged that due to the hostile actions of the governor towards workers in the state, many of them have died because of the lack of payment of their salaries.
Ajaero lamented the non-compliance with the national minimum wage by the state government while accusing the State government of refusing to implement previous agreements, especially the accord reached on January 9, 2021.
Also, he said outstanding salary arrears of about 20 months have not been paid, 10,000 pensioners have been wrongly labelled as ghost pensioners resulting in over 22 months of unpaid pensions while about 11,000 workers have been labelled as ghost workers by the state.
Speaking further, the Labour leader urged “all stakeholders, including civil society organizations, to stand in solidarity with the workers of Imo State in the face of these egregious violations. We implore the Imo State Government to honor its obligations and recommit to respecting the rights and privileges of workers.
“As long as it refuses, we will continue in this course of action until we see the desired change. We are ready for industrial peace in the state but the choice is entirely in the hands of the Government of Imo State.”