NLC condemns mass sack of LG workers in Kaduna State

By Mohammed Tijjani

The Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC), the Kaduna State Council, has condemned the massive dismissal of workers in the state civil service.

NLC Chairman Ayuba Suleiman delivered the sentence at a press conference in Kaduna on Wednesday.

The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the NLC was responding to the dismissal of local council employees over the age of 50 and pegging the total number of employees of each local council to 50 workers.

The government also ordered the conversion of all categories of GL 01-06 agents to casual workers, among others.

The government had since started sending dismissal letters to affected workers.

Suleiman said any dismissal of workers whose appointments are protected by law must be based on strict adherence to the disciplinary process provided for in civil service rules.

According to him, the state government must take into account the financial consequences of the mass layoff on society and families, as well as the security situation in the state.

He noted that the state government had not paid the rights of the workers it had made redundant since 2016 and wondered how the government was going to pay final indemnities for those who are currently being made redundant.

“Kaduna State is already facing issues of insecurity, unemployment, poverty, the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and diminishing business prospects, hence any further pain for the people. citizens will be reasonably repugnant to conscience, ”he added.

“We call on the state government to reverse this unpopular decision regarding the mass layoff of workers and to seek alternative ways to run the government without inflicting additional pain on the public.”

Suleiman said the NLC will remain organized, peaceful and rational by engaging the government and other stakeholders to ensure an amicable resolution of all issues affecting state workers.

“These are our prayers that prominent citizens and other people of good will such as the elderly, politicians, clergy, traditional leaders join with unions in saving the state from unnecessary skirmishes.

“This is necessary to prevent the labor movement from being forced to take drastic measures.” Suleiman said.

The NLC chairman noted that Governor Nasir El-Rufai has bastardized the civil service and demoralized workers since taking office.

“Kaduna State has woken up to a new style of governance where there is no job security in the Kaduna State civil service, while civil servants are threatened daily by rumors of dismissal or are in fact stunned by the massive dismissal of workers without recourse to the Civil Service Rules, ”he added.

He noted that the $ 5 billion in Internally Generated Monthly Income (IGR) that the government celebrates, is generated through the hard work of public service workers, “whose only reward, unfortunately, seems to be a massive layoff. “

He also said that workers have been subjected to arbitrariness and inconsistencies in the payment of wages, which most often fluctuate from month to month, making it difficult for workers to plan in the face of the downward spiral. inflation.

“Once again, it is disturbing that the current rulers of the state see development directly from a capitalist perspective against crucial indices such as human capital development, human rights and the rule of law. .

“For development to be meaningful, it must be balanced and healthy, both the development of human capital and the growth of infrastructure must deliberately and by necessity take pride of place,” said Suleiman. (NOPE)

(NAN)

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