In response to the police invitation of its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a warning of potential nationwide industrial action beginning midnight of Tuesday.
The decision was reached after an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) on Tuesday where the council flagged the police action as “unfounded and politically motivated investigation” targeting Ajaero.
The NEC, in a communiqué signed by NLC Deputy President, Comrade Ado Sani Minjibir, expressed deep concern over the actions of the Nigeria Police Force, which has accused Ajaero of involvement in terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.
According to the communique, the council viewed these allegations as baseless and a continuation of the state’s efforts to intimidate and silence the labour movement.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the NLC stated its intention to honour the police invitation while demanding an extension of time.
However, the NEC made it clear that this compliance does not legitimise the charges against Ajaero.
The Labour Centre also condemned the ongoing harassment of labour leaders, calling it a “calculated attempt to weaken and destabilise the labour movement.”
The NEC directed all affiliates and state councils to begin mobilising their members nationwide and warned that any harm to Ajaero or any other leader would trigger an indefinite nationwide strike, effective from midnight on Tuesday.
The communiqué reads in parts, “The NEC notes with grave concern that rather than extending the apology demanded by the Congress for the earlier invasion of its national headquarters by security agencies, the Nigeria Police has chosen to embark on this spurious and fortuitous journey of intimidation, harassment, and witch-hunting.
“This is nothing but a travesty and a blatant attempt to stifle the voice of the working people and their leadership, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98.
“We shall honour the invitation: As a responsible Labour Centre committed to the rule of law and due process, the NLC shall honour the invitation extended to its President by the Nigeria Police but will demand for extension of time given the nature of the invitation.
“However, we wish to state unequivocally that this does not in any way legitimize the baseless allegations levelled against him.
“Condemnation of the State’s Actions: The NEC strongly condemns the continued harassment of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and other Labour leaders. We view this as a calculated attempt to weaken and destabilise the labour movement, which has always stood as a bastion of democratic principles and the voice of the Nigerian masses.
“The NEC directs all affiliates and state councils to immediately commence the process of mobilising their members across the nation. The Congress will not hesitate to take all necessary actions, including mass protests and industrial actions, to protect the integrity and independence of the labour movement.
“If anything happens to the President of the Congress or any other leader of the Congress in furtherance of these tendentious allegations by the State; NEC puts all its affiliates and state councils to proceed on indefinite nationwide strike action by 12:00 midnight today”.
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