The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Plateau State has joined nationwide strike action as directed by the national Secretariat of the organized Labour Unions.
Daily Champion who observed the situation in Jos reports that there is a high level of compliance.
It was learned that the workforce such as Joseph Gomwalk State Secretariat, Federal Secretariat, Courts, Banks, schools were lock and key as business patronage slow down.
Speaking to newsmen in Jos Tuesday, Comrade Eugene Manji, NLC Chairman Plateau state chapter confirmed there is a level of compliance in respect to the strike action.
According to him, the reason why Labour Unions embarked on nationwide strike action is as a result of ill-treatment and brutalization meted against NLC president comrade Joe Ajaero by the Governor of Imo State Hope Uzodinma using thugs.
“The compliance is absolute on the Plateau. The reason why Labour went to Imo state is because of the lingering and pending issues we are having with the Imo State Government.
“The only reason we embarked on nationwide strike is because of the malhandling of our leader Comrade Joe Ajaero. Whatever anybody would said should go ahead and said we don’t care. We are defending our leader because once this thing happened to a leader you’re not safe.
“If a leader have been beaten it means nobody is safe. Your not safe as a Journalists and even the masses.Labour is the only institution that is protecting the masses in this country.
“We lost out in the religious leaders and traditional rulers that supposed to defend the masses and call government officials to order. The only body that is standing firm to checkmate the excesses of this government is Labour. And if they killed the Labour nobody can stand.
“Labour is fighting for justice on him and the welfare of their members and the masses. We are the voice of the voiceless, and even what we’re doing now is to curtail the excesses of what is going to happen in the future, protecting the future of upcoming generation.
“If the government did not meet up with our demands the strike action will continue indefinite, but if they know what they doing at all by losing Billion of Naira per day they should be able to know, just one day, Nigeria is the only country that takes things for granted but we were ready for it”, Comrade Manji stated.
On whether the strike action which Labour Unions embarked upon is against the content of Court, Plateau NLC Chairman acknowledged they are not obeying such court because it was illegal.
He alleged that,”the Government went and brought the court order on Saturday 12th November, 2023, in some body’s house and you want us to respect it? We are the same indigenes of this country, if the court is just for the Government let’s continue that way.
“But what I am telling you is that they are breeding a lot of anarchy in this country the way they are going with this kind of injustice, one day they will see the result.
“This is just the beginning. #ENDSARS has come and gone because of injustice and were all witnesses to that.God forbid the one that is going to come would be deadly than that”, he stated.
