President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has criticized the proscription of labour unions in state-owned tertiary institutions by the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with workers at the NLC Secretariat in Lokoja on Monday, Ajaero noted that union practice falls under the Exclusive Legislative List in the Constitution, which is beyond the powers of any governor to control.
“No governor has the right to ban unions. Unions are registered nationally by the Registrar of Trade Unions. They may have branches in states for administrative convenience, but governors cannot ban what they don’t control,” Ajaero emphasized.
Workers revealed that for over a decade, institutions like Kogi State Polytechnic, Kogi State University, and State Colleges of Education, Technology, and Nursing have operated under proscription by the state government.
The workers highlighted various demands, including: non-implementation of annual salary increases, lack of housing provision for workers, shortage of teachers in primary and junior secondary schools.
The NLC President assured the workers that their issues would be conveyed to the governor, emphasizing that Kogi State holds strategic importance as both the governor and deputy are former union leaders.
Ajaero added, “This is a homecoming for us. We want to ensure that the state government is doing what we criticize others for not doing.”
He called on the state government to reconsider its stance on union proscription and address workers’ concerns to foster a better working environment.
The NLC leadership was in the state to commission 10 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses provided to the state chapter of the congress to alleviate transportation challenges for workers.
The town hall meeting was organized to allow workers to present their grievances and demands to the NLC leadership, who pledged to relay the issues to the governor.
