TUC To Shutdown Lagos Sept 25 Over Unresolved RTEAN Proscription

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) yesterday said it would ground activities in Lagos State on September 25, 2023 if the state government fails to lift the ban on activities of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state.

The labour centre accused the state government of violating the constitution by disobeying the ruling of the industrial court which had ordered reinstatement of the union since April, 2023.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had in September, 2022 suspended all activities of RTEAN over  pockets of violence recorded in the state.

However, TUC national president, Comrade Festus Osifo who briefed journalists in Abuja yesterday said the ban remained unacceptable to the congress, adding that the labour centre had made all efforts to settle the disharmony, including involving the federal government but it proved abortive.

“On the 22nd day of May this year, we wrote the Lagos State government to draw their attention to the  pronouncement of the court, but unfortunately they did not.

After that protest that we had in Lagos, they called us and we had a meeting with them. We thought we were already finding solution to the problem, because the promise was that they were going to pass a message to the governor, they promised that the issues would be resolved”, he said.

“If the Lagos state government does not resolve this issue, we are going to go after them, we are going to carry out a protest in Lagos once again, then after that protest, we will see when there is no solution inside, there’s going to be a total showdown in Lagos State, because for us, this is clearly not acceptable.

“So in order for us to carry out a successful protest in Lagos on Monday next week, we have informed the DG of the DSS, we have informed the IGP, we have also informed the National Security Adviser, and the reason is that we want them to provide us adequate security. We have also informed all our various affiliates that everybody should pro-proceed to Lagos next week.”