The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, says no court of law can suspend or stop the provision of the Nigerian constitution for a peaceful protest by its citizens.
Wabba was reacting to the statement credited to the Rivers State Commissioner for Justice and State Attorney-General who described Tuesday’s (September 8) planned protest by the NLC and TUC or their affiliate as going against a court order.
In another statement signed by Wabba, the labour raised an alarm of plans by the Rivers State Government to deploy armed thugs to counter a peaceful protest by workers seeking payment of their entitlement.
The statement appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike not to involve himself with an attack on fellow Nigerians, while also appealing to him to focus his energy in meeting the demands of the poor workers.
The concerns of labour include the delayed payment of outstanding salary arrears to teachers and healthcare workers, promotion arrears since 2015, payment of pension and gratuity to retired workers in the state since 2015, issuing of official circular to effect the payment of the new national minimum wage, the conclusion of the negotiation for consequential wages adjustment arising from the new national minimum wage, remittance of withheld check-off dues deductions to unions in the state, unsealing of Rivers NLC Secretariat, the withdrawal of trumped-up charges against labour leaders in Rivers State, and cessation of harassment and assault on workers in the state.
