By Hassan Haruna Ginsau
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), along with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) came together yesterday to condemn a report by the Committee on Devolution of Power at the on-going National conference which proposes the transfer of all labour matters from the exclusive to the concurrent legislative list.
Both labour organisations, through a press conference addressed in Abuja, called the committee’s decision contrary to a recommendation already proposed by the National Conference’s Committee on Civil Society, Labour and Sports, which they noted is specifically assigned to deliberate on labour matters at the National Conference.
“As you are no doubt aware, the Committee on Civil Society, Labour, and Sports has in tandem with the aspiration of the Trade Union movement in the country, recommended that Labour and other related issues should be retained in the Exclusive Legislative list. We commend the Committee for carrying out the wishes of the Nigerian people in this regard,” read the text of the press conference.
The trade organisations were also critical of the committee’s co- chairman, Obong Victor Attah, accusing him of revenge when they expressed “surprise that a former State Governor, who many have hitherto regarded as a Statesman, could descend so low as to resort to vendetta because a local Union in his State once went on sympathy strike over National issue.”
The unions called to order politicians that are “hell-bent on drawing the country backwards through ideas that have no meaning within the context of modern-day administration.
