Briefing journalists at the Labour House on Sunday in Abuja, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, accused the Imo State Government of violating the rights of the Nigerian workers in the state.
Accusing Governor Hope Uzodimma of neglecting workers’ welfare, Ajaero lamented that many of them have died because of the alleged lack of payment of their salaries.
He outlined some of the infractions against workers by the state governor including the alleged refusal to implement previous agreements, especially the accord reached on January 9, 2021, outstanding salary arrears of about 20 months, unjust declaration of workers as ghost workers, declaration of pensioners as ghost workers and unsettled gratuity arrears among others.
According to him, approximately 10,000 pensioners have been wrongly labelled as ghost pensioners resulting in over 22 months of unpaid pensions while about 11,000 workers have been branded by the Imo State Government as ghost workers.
The NLC president also lamented the non-compliance with the national minimum wage by the state government, adding that Uzodinma has resisted the use of social dialogue and collective bargaining to resolve the issues.
He said, “The NLC is deeply concerned about the persistent and egregious violations of the rights and privileges of workers in Imo State by the state government.
“Despite our repeated efforts to engage in constructive dialogue and reach amicable agreements, the Imo State Government has become a habitual and serial breaker of these agreements, continuing to trample on the rights of workers in the state.
“As a result, we are left with no choice but to embark on mass protests and industrial actions beginning on the 1st day of November 2023 to demonstrate our outrage and stop the continuing violation of the rights and privileges of workers in the state.
“On the first day of November, we begin this march to save workers of Imo State from the grievous harm the government has subjected them to these past years,” Ajaero said.
Speaking further, the Labour leader enjoined “all stakeholders, including civil society organizations, to stand in solidarity with the workers of Imo State in the face of these egregious violations. We implore the Imo State Government to honor its obligations and recommit to respecting the rights and privileges of workers.”
“As long as it refuses, we will continue in this course of action until we see the desired change. We are ready for industrial peace in the state but the choice is entirely in the hands of the Government of Imo State.”
