A crisis of confidence has hit the Kogi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, as the Nigeria Union of Teachers on Monday suspended its affiliation with it indefinitely.
Rising from an emergency State Executive Council meeting in Lokoja, the NUT directed its members in the state to stay away from work until the state government pays their outstanding seven months’ salaries and other emoluments.
The Kogi State chapter of the NUT said in a communique by its Chairman, Mr. Sulaiman Abdullahi, it would not be part of the programmes and activities of the NLC.
It said it was forced to take the hard decision after reviewing “the process leading to the abrupt and controversial suspension of the popular workers’ action.”
The NLC had on Monday suspended the five-week-old strike after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government.
A member of NUT told our correspondent that the labour leaders that signed the agreement departed from the generally agreed conditions by labour unions in the state.
The union expressed shock, dissatisfaction and disappointment about the way the strike ended which it said contradicted the resolution of the affiliate unions in the NLC, including NUT.
NUT insisted on the payment of seven months’ salaries, leave bonus from 2011 to date and promotion arrears in order to pacify its members.
It said, “Government is hereby advised to abide with the implementation of the agreement it willingly entered into in order to sustain industrial harmony.
“NUT rejects in its entirety the apology of the NLC chairman, Mr. Onuh Edoka, sent through the NUT state chairman as belated as his roles and actions concerning the strike are premeditated.
“NUT hereby suspends indefinitely its affiliation to the NLC in Kogi State and dissociates itself from all its programmes and activities.”
Despite the suspension of the strike by the NLC, only few workers resumed work on Tuesday. Many of the workers claimed they do not have money to pay their transport fares to work.
Credits: Gbenga Odogun/Punch
