Organised Labour under the umbrella of the Trade Union Side (TUS) of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has directed thousands of public service employees to occupy Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital and other cities in the State from Tuesday 8 September 2020 to drive home labour’s demands that Governor Nyesom Wike should govern the States within the ambits of the law.
This was contained in a statement issued in Lagos on Friday and signed by TUS Chairman, Comrade Abdrafiu Alani Adeniji and the Secretary, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal.
The union expressed shock that Governor Wike has decided to be terrorizing Labour Leaders in Rivers State for daring to demand for workers rights and is determined to turn thousands of workers in the State into his personal slaves.
It emphasized the need for the workers to troop out enmass to join the mass protest being spear-headed by the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) which starts on Tuesday, 8th September, 2020 in order to tame Governor Wike. The TUS regretted that since the negotiations for Consequential Adjustment Arising from the N30,000 monthly National Minimum Wage was unilaterally aborted on 31st January 2020 Governor Wike, he has unleashed his armed terrorists to be harassing and intimidating Rivers State workers and their leaders to cow them and stop them from making further demands.
“Apart from demanding for the conclusion of the negotiations on Consequential Adjustment arising from the new National Minimum Wage, the Labour Leaders also demanded that all the withheld salaries of workers, pensions and gratuity as well as check off dues to the Trade Unions in the State must be released.
“As far as Governor Wike is concerned, the workers have committed felony by making these legitimate demands and so on 2nd February, he despatched armed security operatives to take over the NLC Secretariat in Port Harcourt claiming that the government wanted to do structural integrity test for the building,” the Union stated.
The Labour Leaders regretted that on 21st July 2020, Governor Wike despatched armed thugs to the NLC Secretariat to vandalise the property during which installations and equipment worth millions of naira were destroyed.
It added that the Chairperson of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) was abducted, detained at Government House, dragged to the magistrate court on trumped up criminal offences and while undergoing trial was kidnapped and his whereabouts remained a mystery till day.
“As if all these are not bad enough, Governor Wike again on 27th August 2020, despatched his gang of goon to the Secretariat of the Medical and Health Workers Union to unleash terror on NLC leaders who were meeting there since the NLC Secretariat had been sealed off by the almighty Governor.
“While the fracas was going on, some Labour Leaders were seriously wounded and no arrest has been made since then,” the Labour Leaders regretted. The TUS emphasized the need for the workers to take up their destiny in their own hands by joining the mass action before they and their families are wiped out by the emperor masquerading as Governor of Rivers State. It equally called on millions of Rivers State citizens to join to subdue Governor Wike before he turns the entire Rivers State landscape into a slave camp. “Today, Governor Wike is dealing with workers and their leaders and if he is not tamed and he succeeds in conquering the workers and their leaders, he will descend on all the citizens of Rivers State. “This is why all hands must be on deck to tame the burgeoning emperor of Rivers State,” the Union stressed.
The TUS assured all workers that victory is very certain as far as this struggle is concerned as no leader in the history of the globe has succeeded in silencing the voice of the working masses and Mr. Wike’s case is never going to be an exception.