The Rivers State civil servants have been warned against joining the planned solidarity protest proposed by the national leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
The warning was issued by the state’s Head of Service, Rufus Godwin on Tuesday, who said disciplinary actions will be taken against any worker who joins the industrial action.
NLC had in a statement last week, threatened to embark on a solidarity protest over the failure of the federal government to address the ongoing strike of university lecturers.
Godwin said Rivers State-owned universities were currently in session with no interruption and as such, there is no justifiable reason for state workers to join in the mass protest.
“You know that our universities are on their programmes, in fact they have ended with the first semester and the second semester is about to begin.
“So why should any person come to mobilize our universities here to join ASUU to protest to their own employer?
“If your employer is not paying you, and my employer is paying me, why should I join you to protest that your employer should pay you?
“The labour movement is regulated by law and there are whole set of rules. When they want to go on protest it has to relate to issue of employment and conditions of service.
“The Rivers state government has no issue whatsoever with its own universities concerning employee and conditions of service.
“That is why our universities are running,” he stated.
The Head of Service also said the attendance of staff members will be taken on Wednesday and the day after and any absentee worker will be deemed to have joined the protest.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Chairman of the NLC, Beatrice Itubo says no one can stop the union from going ahead with the planned protest any time the date is fixed.
Itubo, who tagged herself ‘a master of protests’, explained that “no date has been fixed for the industrial action” as state chapters were only directed by the National Executive Committee of the NLC to start “mobilizing” for the planned action.
She, however, assured that once the date is fixed, “nobody can stop the union from carrying out the protest.”
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