Imo State Government has appealed to the state and national leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to consider the long standing cordial relationship existing between them and drop their planned shutdown of the state.
Labour had threatened to shutdown the state if Governor Rochas Okorocha failed to recall the over 3,000 workers of the 19 parastatals, agencies and departments, which he summarily dismised recently.
In a press statement signed on behalf of the Governor by his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, government appealed to labour not to embark on any strike that would not benefit anyone.
“The national leadership of the NLC should be patriotic enough to advise the leadership of the NLC in the state to honour their invitations to participate in the high-powered 18 – member committee set up by the state governor to review the cases of the staff affected by the suspension in question, so that the matter can be resolved amicably in the spirit of no victor, no vanquished”, Okorocha pleaded.
While recalling that the inauguration of the committee could not take place last Tuesday, because the Labour Representatives did not come for the exercise, Okorocha equally recalled that the Committee has the state NLC Chairman, the Trade Union Congress, TUC Chairman, the State Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, and the Chairman of National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, as members.
Others chosen from labour unions are the Representative of Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Representative of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Imo State University, IMSU, Imo Polytechnic, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Chairman of Imo State branch of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, and representative of the Judiciary Service Union of Nigeria, JUSUN.