Railway, Oil Workers, Threaten Nationwide Shutdown Over Attacks On NLC

The leadership of the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers has condemned the attack meted on members of the Nigerian Labour Congress who embarked on a peaceful protest in Kaduna state.

Workers in the state had embarked on a five-day warning strike to protest against the decision of the state government to lay-off thousands of civil servants in the state.

However, the Union of railway workers condemning the act in a statement, warned that it will not hesitate to mobilize its members to withdraw trains services and shutdown the entire Nigerian Railway system if any member of the Labour Congress is reported to have suffered any injury.

In the statement signed by the President, NUR, Innocent Luka Ajiji and the Secretary General, Segun Esan, the Union of Railway workers regretted that, rather than El’Rufai to seek peaceful and constructive means to resolve the issues with the leadership of Labour, he has resorted to “wielding hooliganism and banditry to repel a just and legitimate protest gathering of the Congress.”

The statement reads, “NUR recalled how El’Rufai’s army of thugs accosted the peaceful procession of the Nigerian workers this morning in Kaduna and attacked viciously with missiles, matchers, knives and other dangerous weapons unprovoked.

“This has also left the NUR, in total solidarity to the NLC and Kaduna State workers, with no option than to warn that if any member of the Labour Congress is reported to have suffered any injury, fatality, or taken up in another attack again as the 5-day warning mass industrial action against his unpopular government continues into the third day, Nigeria Union of Railway Workers will not hesitate to mobilize its members to withdraw trains services and shutdown the entire Nigerian Railway system in response to his repulsive and tactless approach to the rights and welfare of Kaduna State workers.

“In effect, the governors’ forum leadership and all good and well-meaning Nigerians are hereby implored to pull Nasir El’Rufai back to his senses before he relapses further into self-destructive level of lunacy with consequences to be felt nationwide.”

Also, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike, following the alleged attack on labour Congress protesters.

NUPENG in a statement signed by its National President, Williams Akporeha, warned that the union will not hesitate to call on its members for a total shutdown of services, if any harm is inflicted on any of the members of the organised labour.

The statement reads, “NUPENG, therefore, warns that if any harm is inflicted on any of the members of the organised labour, the leadership of the union will not hesitate to call on all our members throughout the nation for a total shutdown of all our services in the upstream, mid-stream, downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.”

Workers in the state, led by the president of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba had insisted that there was no going back on its five-day strike action which began on Monday.

ENDS