*‘They Are Sabotaging Economic Activities Of Kaduna State,’ Govt Condemns NLC Protest
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The economic and social activities were on Monday shut down by the labour movement, as President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba led union leaders on protest against mass sack of workers by the Governor Nasir El-Rufai led Kaduna State Government.
Ahead of the commencement of the strike and street protest, affiliates of the NLC like the National Union of Electricity Employee (NUEE) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) had since Saturday cut supply of electricity and petroleum products to Kaduna State.
Even as the blackout and fuel scarcity persisted on Monday, banks, Kaduna International Airport and the Kaduna station of the Abuja-Kaduna railway among others were shut.
The labour union had before taking to the streets went round to lock key government ministries and agencies.
However, security personnel allegedly on the instruction of the state government forced open the main gate of the Kaduna State Secretariat, a complex housing about 10 ministries of the state government.
Meanwhile, workers who were hitherto hanging around, remained outside in what looked like compliance with the NLC directive.
The protest took off around 9:40am from NLC secretariat at Golf Course road where Comrade Wabba addressed the workers on the essence of the strike action.
The protesters thereafter headed to the state House of Assembly where the protest terminated for the day.
In reaction to the protest, the Head of Service in Kaduna State, Baritu Mohammed told Channels Television that the protesting workers are sabotaging economic activities in the state.
She added that the Kaduna State government will not hesitate to use Trade Union Act which prohibits strike by essential workers against the protesters.
“What is happening now in Kaduna is not an industrial action but a campaign of social and economic sabotage. Kaduna State government is functioning despite illegal attempts to lock our offices, hospitals, and schools. The schools are opened, our offices and hospitals are opened.
“NLC is aware that inflicting pain on citizens, locking hospitals and public institutions, shutting down electricity will not change or affect the decision of Kaduna State government.
“It will not change the intention of the Kaduna State government to use Trade Union Act which prohibits strike by essential workers,” Mohammed said.
The HoS also claimed that NLC leadership are forcing workers to join the protest noting that some fuel stations were threatened by the NLC Leadership.
Meanwhile, National NLC Chairman, Ayuba Wabba, during the protest, said due process was not observed in the recent disengagement of the workers from the Local Government Service, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Primary Health Care Agency.
He added that all the unions including Student Unions and pensioners are part of the protest as they are all directly affected by the disengagement of workers.
In solidarity with the protest by the NLC, aviation workers have shut down operations of Kaduna International Airport (KIA).
The workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), said the airport would remain shut for the period of the warning strike.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai however described the labour strike and protest as acts of economic and social sabotage.
El-Rufai on his official Twitter handle @GovKaduna also said that, the conditions that compelled the state government to rightsize were not even mentioned by the labour leaders.
According to the Governor, “KDSG affirms that the conditions that compel it to rightsize are not altered by the NLC’s campaign of economic and social sabotage.
“The NLC showed in 2017 that it has no interest in public welfare, going violent over 21,780 failed teachers who KDSG replaced with 25,000” El-Rufai said.
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