The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Comrade Joe Ajaero, has urged Imo State residents to stock up their homes with basic needs to survive as the Union prepares for an indefinite strike.
Comrade Ajaero revealed this in a statement. He said the state government has deliberately terrorized residents through some negative actions of some operatives who have been bequeathed with the powers of the state.
He said that the state government, through its information commissioner has been peddling falsehood.
He accused the Imo state government of turning the once-prided “Eastern Heartland” into a toxic and extremely unpleasant environment.
Ajaero said “Hobbesian state of nature, a state once prided itself as the Eastern Heartland has become prevalent, exposing not just workers in the state but institutions and individuals to the most horrendous of scare, fear, and violence in their daily activities.
“In the pursuit of our legitimate strike action to restore sanity to the state’s industrial relations sphere, we wish to advise that those traveling to Imo state through the airport to look for other alternatives, those that make use of petroleum products should make efforts to seek alternatives and those that use electricity to seek other options outside the National Grid.
“We are resolved to press home our demands and until these infractions are remedied, we will continue escalating the industrial action till the government is compelled to show reason and restore meaningful and effective dialogue in the state.”
He gave some of the reasons for the industrial action to include 20 months’ salary arrears owed to some workers stigmatized as ghost workers; declaration of about 11,000 workers in the state as ghost workers; intimidation and harassment of Trade Union leaders; and continued use of thugs and instruments of violence against workers in the state among others.
Meanwhile, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has approved the immediate removal of Chief Ford Ozumba, the State Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, from office. His removal was not unconnected to the logjam going on between the NLC and the State government.
In a press statement on Saturday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba said, “Accordingly, His Excellency further directs that Chief Ozumba hands over to the Permanent Secretary of his Ministry with immediate effect.”
The State has witnessed black out for the past one week, as the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has not been able to explain to the customers reasons for the black out. Residents are of the view that they are waiting for the EEDC to bring in their outrageous and estimated bill and be ready to slug it out with them.
