President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero has promised to lead its members on showdown with the Imo State government on November 1, due to alleged unfriendly workers policies by the government.
Among others complaints against the Governor Hope Uzodinma-led state government, the labour leader said the rights of workers in the state are being seriously violated.
Ajaero who briefed journalists in Abuja on Sunday, lamented the grouses with the state government to include; outstanding salary arrears of about 20 months, unjust declaration of workers as ghost workers, declaration of pensioners as ghost workers and unsettled gratuity arrears, among others.
He accused the state government of refusing to implement the January 9, 2021, agreement reached with the NLC, adding that many workers have died due to the neglect of their welfare.
He said approximately 10,000 pensioners have been wrongly labelled as ghost pensioners resulting in over 22 months of unpaid pensions while about 11,000 workers have been branded by the Imo State Government as ghost workers.
He also accused the state government of non-compliance with the national minimum wage and the refusal of Governor Uzodinma to use social dialogue in resolving labour-related matters.
Meanwhile, the NLC said no court order would stop the union from proceeding with the protest next Wednesday.
Instructively, this is not the first time the NLC and state government will be engaged in a spat. In May this year, the union shut down the state in a protest after Governor Uzodinwa allegedly failed to see the NLC president after spending five days in the state.
