Imo Workers Shut Down Owerri Over Plans To Lay Off, Slash Salaries Of Civil Servants
All commercial and private activities including vehicular movements were brought to a halt in Owerri, Imo State capital, as a result of mass protests by civil servants in the state. The protest was embarked upon under the auspices of the organised labour and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The protesting team were made up of all national officers of NLC, members of industrial unions and workers from South East, South/south and others across the country who came to Owerri yesterday for solidarity match on behalf of their colleagues in Imo.
The workers, numbering millions, matched from the NLC secretariat Owerri, and round the major streets of Owerri namely, Wetheral Road, Bank Road, Okigwe Road and Port Harcourt Road, carrying placards with various inscriptions.
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Some of the inscriptions are, “Bureau of Public procurement, His Excellency March, December 2015 salaries is our right, please pay us before we die”, “illegal retrenchment not acceptable, you must rule with human face, don’t destroy what you do not build and you have no right to sack us without due process.
The protesters ended up at the secretariat of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) along Port Harcourt road. The situation resulted in heavy traffic jam in and around Owerri, as vehicular movement and individuals were affected within the period of the protest.
Leading the protesters, the National President of NLC Comrade Waheed Wappa assured workers in the state of the general support of NLC and workers across the federation.
