Assault on Ajaero: Labour Lists Six Demands To Shelve November 8 Strike

Concerned about the deteriorating health conditions of Comrade Joe Ajaero;

Outraged by the bestial treatments meted out to workers (including Ajaero) and journalists by the Police and Imo State Government;

Stunned by the complicity of a Federal Agency such as the Nigeria Police Force;

Irritated by the defence of the Imo State Police Command that they only took Comrade Joe Ajaero into protective custody (from where he emerged, battered, concussed, puffed-eyed, debilitated and condemned);

Worried by the conspiratorial silence of the Federal Government; and the aloofness of the various Security Agencies who were formally notified of our presence in Imo State but refused to take steps to offer protection;

Flabbergasted by the audacity and arrogance of Hope Uzodinma who feels emboldened and endorsed by the Nigerian Police;

The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria resolved as follows:

1). The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command; CP Ahmed Barde should not only be investigated and deployed out of Imo State for his serial complicitous and unprofessional behaviour and conduct immediately;

2). The Area Commander of the Nigeria Police Force and all other Officers and Men in Owerri through whom the Police Commissioner supervised the brutalisation and humiliation of Comrade Ajaero and other workers be relieved of his office and stripped of his commission;

3). Mr Nwaneri Chinasa, Adviser on Special Duties who supervised the terror on workers and bestial brutality meted out to Congress President, Comrade Joe Ajaero be arrested immediately and prosecuted for his crimes against workers and the President.

4). We demand an immediate, independent and unbiased thorough professional medical examination of Comrade Ajaero in light of the physical and psychological injuries inflicted on him.

5). Other workers and journalists subjected to this inhuman treatment by the Police and the Hope Uzodinma’s goons be treated by the State and all the properties lost be restored immediately.

6). All the outstanding Industrial Relations issues as previously agreed with the Imo state Government be implemented immediately;

The Labour Movement further stated that there was no Court Order restraining them from carrying out a peaceful protest in accordance with Section 40 of the 1999 CFRN.

“We heard police fiction that we disobeyed a Court order but we want to now which Court order. Our lawyer was in Court last week and the matter was adjourned to today.”

“Let us assume there was a Court order. When was it granted and where was it granted? How was the order obtained and on whom was it served and when?”

The NLC/TUC also stated that though Ajaero was the main target of the bestial and reprehensible attack, the workers were also brutalised, and dispossessed of their phones, money and laptops.

The TVC crew were also arrested and detained with their cameras seized whilst the AriseTV crew narrowly escaped, the labour leaders said

Why we went to Imo

1). Government repeatedly observed in breach agreements it voluntarily reached with Labour amongst which was the January 9th 2021;

2). Non-payment of salaries and pensions for upward of 22 months ….in some instances, 44 months;

3). Declaration of 11,000 hard-working workers as ghost workers and diversion of their salaries or emoluments to other uses;

4). Serial vandalism of Congress secretariat for no just cause;

5). Non-implementation of the National Minimum Wage Law causing distortions and pains among the working class in the state;

6). Implementation of discriminatory pay policy or practice which deepens poverty;

7). A backlog of gratuity arrears stretching to 8 years;
Government’s continued harassment Intimidation of workers or their executives;

9). Non-remittance of check-off dues or misappropriation of check-off dues
by Government;

10). Frequent interference by Government in internal matters of trade unions to the point Government wants to dictate who occupies which post;

11). Systematic intimidation of trade unions and trade union leaders, dismantling of trade union structures, regular bullying and beating of workers and denying them access to the fruits of their labour.

What they are accustomed to is the butcher’s solution which we are better off without. Let us not pretend that we have democracy in Imo.