Anti-labour bill: NLC, TUC spit fire…blast Lokpobiri

[MrVan]

By OKEY NDIRIBE

ABUJA—Nigerian labour movement yesterday vowed to rise against passage of a bill designed to frustrate trade unions in the country from embarking on strike without obtaining permission.

This vow was made by Presidents of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar and Trade Union Congress, TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, while addressing a joint press conference.

The two labour leaders further lambasted sponsor of the bill, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, for presenting a bill obviously designed to muzzle organised labour unions in the country.

According to the duo, "we are forced to respond to this new agenda because of the perceived spirit and prejudices, including the powers behind it.

"If it is a punitive move against Nigerians for  protest against  fuel price hike, or an attempt to make it difficult for Nigerians to resist a future anti-people policy of the government, it will fail.

"Such laws with obvious fraudulent intentions which negate democratic practices and international conventions of which Nigeria is a part of, often suffer the shame of ignominy."

They further stated that it was mind-boggling that Lokpobiri, who receives millions of Naira every month from tax-payers money, would decide to waste the people's time in pursuit of a frivolous goal to muzzle the various signposts of the people's conscience.

"Those who are sponsoring this bill, including those on the floor of the Senate, and the ones behind the mask have shown a total disdain for Nigerians, their sensibilities and desires and have further shown the contempt with which they hold the pillars of the nation's democratic practices," they stated.

The labour leaders further declared that attempts to stifle opposing voices had never succeeded in the long run, pointing out that they always backfired.

According to them, "instead of addressing the numerous security challenges facing us as a nation, and instead of coming up with relevant laws to deal with the endemic issues of corruption in the country; instead of presenting creative legislations to generate employment and reduce poverty, the sponsors of this bill decided to assault Nigerians".

The labour leaders further urged Senator Lokpobiri to focus his energy on the employment crisis in Nigeria, especially in Bayelsa State with one of the highest unemployement rates in the country.

They applauded Senators who opposed the bill adding that "their names shall be written in gold and we urge them to ensure that the rights of Nigerians are not further trampled upon by those who think that law-making starts and ends raising the bars of separation between the people and the government or shutting the door against the people from seeing what those in government are doing.

...hails senate

BY VICTOR AHIUMA- YOUNG

ORGANISED Labour in the nation's electricity industry, has commended the Senate for standing behind the Nigerian masses and labour movement against the anti-labour bill designed to gag labour movement.

Under the umbrella of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, the workers said the bill, which could have rubbished provision of Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, was also not in tandem with Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation, ILO.

Speaking through its General Secretary and Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in Abuja, leaders of the union said "on behalf of the NUEE and Nigerian Workers, we wish to express our heartfelt sincere appreciation to the  Nigerian Senate and in particular progressive elements in the Senate for the will and zeal not to kill labour movement in Nigeria.

Vanguard Nigeria