…As thugs again invade NLC secretariat
The Nigera Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday said workers will not be intimidated by the action of the El Rufai led government in Kaduna for sending thugs against workers who were peaceful in demanding for their rights.
The workers who made this known at the ongoing warning strike disclosed that despite another round of sponsored armed thugs who took over the workers secretariat early Wednesday morning to disturb the day activities, the Workers would continuing with the industrial actions.
The thugs numbering about 50 were later dislodged by the security personnels before the workers could assembled around 10a.m from where they moved to the Kaduna state Secretariat.
The protest Wednesday however, took a different dimension as another group of protesters purported to have been sponsored by the state government were sighted at the NEPA junction with different placards where the thugs have attacked the workers on Tuesday.
Also, sighted in the morning were group of women who came to protest against labour but had to fight their ‘contractors’ for failure to pay them as mobilized.
The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, addressing emphasised the why the action would take its full course unless the state government tow the line of dialogue.
“We cannot be intimidated. If not that they are afraid why sending the children of the poor to attack us, why not their children. Whether they like it or not we will continue to be on the street.
“They don’t want us on the street so that they can continue with their propaganda.Labour unions are for the poor and downtrodden. The power cut is due to the irresponsibility of the government. Where citizen rights are trampled upon, market women, we will also be there to support them because we believe that an injury to one is an injury to all.
“We are going to ensure that the 5 days runs its course. These three days have exposed the atrocities in Kaduna state,” he said.
He lamented that the workers are also fighting for the students whose fees has been increased from N20,000 to N150,000 while most of their parents have been sacked without their entitlements.
“Now all over the world in all the 136 countries we are operating know the atrocities in Kaduna. We are going to put El-Rufai’s picture on the ITUC website, that they will know that he’s wanted in the International Court of Justice because he has attacked workers and wanted in Nigeria. He ran away in 2011, but now he cannot run away,” he said.
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