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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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NLC explains opposition to Labour Reform Bill � Two officials arrested while circulating statement
PAUL MUMEH, RICHARD IHEDIWA, Abuja THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday explained that it was not opposed to multiple labour centres but to the Federal Government�s attempt to weaken trade unions, ban strikes and deregister it. This was contained in a statement it issued in Abuja for which two officials, Mr. Benson Upah and Mr. Moses Umani, were arrested by the State Security Services (SSS) while distributing the document at the National Assembly complex. In a statement also circulated at the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory Secretariat, in apparent response to the Executive bill now before the National Assembly for NLC�s to deregistration, multiple labour centres should come about voluntarily and not by government imposition. The statement said NLC did not accept government�s position that the central labour organisation must first be deregistered before the registration of more labour centres. The NLC pointed out the example of the Independent National Electoral Commission deregister the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties already in existence before the registra-tion of new parties. The congress, therefore, maintained that "new labour centres could exist without NLC being deregistered." Describing the Executive bill as "anti-people", NLC called on Nigerians to be aware of what it termed government�s "resort to disinformation and deception" in its attempt to "deregister NLC and crush the trade unions." "The government sees NLC as the spokesperson of the people, defender of the helpless and champion of the common good," the congress said, adding: "to justify its anti-people bill," the administration is now attempting to slip it through without your knowledge or while your attention is diverted." NLC added that govern-ment�s claim that the congress is undemocratic was illogical while also debunking the argument by the government that the body "is a monopoly that must be deregulated." According to the statement, apart from NLC, there are also the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Congress of Free Trade Unions (CFTU), which jointly led the last June strike and protested the hike in the prices of petroleum products. Meanwhile, NLC officials were arrested at 1.30 p.m for distributing copies of NLC�s response to President Oluse-gun Obasanjo�s bill seeking to scrap the congress. They were detained on the ground floor otherwise called basement of the National Assembly Complex before being taken to the SSS headquarters in Abuja. Another attempt to arrest two other NLC officials, Innocent Ogwuche and Jane Alabi was futile as they escaped from the hands of their would-be captors. The NLC Acting General Secretary, Mr. Owei Lakemfa, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said the arrest was a deliberate attempt by the administration to intimidate the National Assembly, NLC and Nigerians to cow them over the ill-conceived and anti-people bill. The statement stressed: "President Obasanjo cannot on the one hand try to ban NLC and on the other seek to stop NLC from carrying her case to the National Assembly. "The NLC cannot and will not be intimidated by such repressive tactics. The President must know that once a bill is presented to the National Assembly, it becomes a public issue. Congress reiterated: "No earthly power can stop NLC and workers from presenting our case on the bill before the National Assembly." The NLC has however urged the National Assembly to be prudent and be objective in accordance with the constitutional rights of workers and the collective interests of Nigerians. |
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