… You can’t stop us- NLC
By: Felix Ikpotor
River State Government has warned civil servants in the state not to join in any solidarity strike with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
Head of Service of the State, Rufus Nkere-Awaji Godwins gave the warning while addressing permanent secretaries, directors and heads of agencies on the planned solidarity strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that the NLC had announced a planned solidarity strike with the university lecturers.
Godwins particularly noted that the strike was not necessary as the two state-owned universities were not part of the ASUU strike as normal academic activities are going on smoothly.
“All the permanent secretaries and heads of parastatals and inter-ministerial agencies in the Rivers State Civil Service have been specifically convened to draw attention to the ongoing mobilisation of civil servants by the Nigerian Labour Congress across the states to participate in what they consider to be a solidarity protests in support of ASUU. For the avoidance of doubt, the Rivers State tertiary institutions comprising of our two universities are universities are carrying on with their mandatory responsibilities, so we are not owing our universities and they are not part of the ASUU strike. As we talk now, while the federal government is still foot-dragging over the conflict with ASUU, our universities have already concluded their first semester and rounding up for their second semester and they are as when due, responding to call up for NYSC, so we have no business whatsoever to participate under any guise,” he said.
He urged the civil servants to be wary of people who come under guise of labour to deceive them.
“That’s why we are enjoining all civil servants to beware of those who would come under the guise of Labour Party to tell civil servants to join them in the pretext that Labour Party belongs to civil servants. That’s not true, civil servants are enjoined not to be partisan, that’s why permanent secretaries will be on guard to take attendance hereafter to ensure that any absentee without authorisation would be presumed to have been absent because of the unauthorized participation in the solidarity protest with ASUU. So all civil servants are enjoined to refuse to be mobilised or take part in the strike that NLC has called,” Godwins said.
He said the government is poised to continue its commitment to workers in the state despite the dwindling resources which has hampered the payment of retirement and death benefit.
Meanwhile, the NLC chairperson in the state, Beatrice Itubo has described the position of the state government on the matter as unfortunate.
Itubo who is also the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Rivers State said the head of service was wrong in his comment about the proposed strike.
“It’s unfortunate that the Rivers State Government said labour is planning to do a solidarity strike today (Wednesday) with ASUU in sympathy with the students who have been at home for almost six months now. The truth is that nobody has planned any action, if it’s to begin today it would be a nationwide action and not peculiar to any particular state.
“The truth is that we were called to go and prepare and sensitize workers for a possible strike in solidarity with ASUU and in sympathy with the millions of students who are at home. The truth is that if we are to go on sympathy strike nobody can stop that, we have done that in this state severally and so when the time comes I will mobilise the workers and they will come out in their numbers,” she said.
She assured workers in the state not to be perturbed that whenever national gives a directive; they should come out in their numbers.
