The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, has been forcibly taken into custody by the police during an ongoing protest in Imo State.
In the midst of this unrest, troublemakers have attacked the protesters, damaging vehicles and causing harm to members of the labor union.
The current whereabouts of the NLC President remain undisclosed, as heavily armed security personnel removed him from the scene.
This incident comes after Vanguard previously reported on Sunday that the NLC planned to commence protests in Imo State on November 1st in response to what they perceive as the state government’s violation and abuse of workers’ rights and privileges.
Ajaero emphasized that the NLC is deeply troubled by the consistent and flagrant disregard for the rights and privileges of workers in Imo State by the state government.
Ajaero said that “NLC was 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.
Read Also:
“This is to demonstrate our outrage and stop the continuing violation of the rights and privileges of workers in the state.”
The NLC president noted the necessity of the protest due to the state government’s consistent failure to honor past agreements.
Ajaero pointed out that the government had a history of repeatedly breaking agreements, with one prominent example being the accord forged on January 9, 2021, between the government and Organized Labour.
“On outstanding salary arrears, shockingly, some workers have been subjected to a staggering 20 months of unpaid salaries under the unfounded label of ‘ghost workers’.
“Unjust declaration of workers as ghost workers, Approximately 11,000 hardworking individuals have been unjustly branded as ghost workers; their salaries have been diverted even while they diligently carried out their duties,” he said.