ICFTU
condemns police action against NLC
Bassey Udo,
Senior Correspondent, Abuja
The International Congress of Free Trade
Unions (ICFTU) has condemned in strong terms last week’s action of the
police to stall a peaceful rally by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to
protest the proposed Trade union (Amendment) Bill.
The NLC had planned to embark on a mass
rally at the National Assembly to try to persuade the legislators to set aside
the proposed law, which has consistently been criticised as being against its
interest and a violation of the democratic rights of workers.
However, on the day of the rally, the
police was to have sealed up the premises of the Labour organisation, saying
the action was illegal.
In a letter, dated August 25, signed by
Andrew Kailembo, general secretary and addressed to President Olusegun
Obasanjo, ICFTU expressed regrets that the police should have taken such a
stand against a peaceful demonstration.
“We are surprised that the police
should have taken this stand against peaceful demonstrations. This is regrettably
yet another example of how the government in the Federal Republic of Nigeria
has become intolerant of opinions, other than its own.
