The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart have given November 8, strike notice to the Federal Government over Wednesday’s attacks, abduction and battering of NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and other unionists.
Leaders of the NLC and TUC at a briefing Friday, gave the Federal Government a six-point demand, including the immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police, Imo State and Area Commander, among other officials, for their alleged complicity in the brutalisation and humiliation of Comrade Ajaero and other workers.
It would be recalled that suspected agents of Imo state government and security operatives had descended on Ajaero alongside other Labour leaders, smashing their vehicles, inflicting injuries on them and dispossessing handsets, money, and ATM cards among other valuables from the Labour leaders and others who had gathered at the NLC State secretariat to begin a scheduled protest over pending labour issues.
The NLC President, other national leaders of NLC and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart were at the state Secretariat in Owerri to protest among other grievances, the backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances, pensions, gratuities, and non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage Act.
The attack, brutalisation and battering of Ajaero have elicited outrage and condemnation across the country.
Leaders of NLC and TUC are billed to meet on Tuesday next week to decide on an appropriate response to the attack.
The attempt by the state government to blackmail Ajaero claiming he was interfering in local politics is a ploy to give a dog a bad name to hang it.
