Date Published: 09/14/11

Attack on Labour Leaders: Gov. Chime in the eye of the storm

Sullivan Chime

This may not the best of times for the governor of Enugu state, Barr. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime as he battles with the demands of the Nigerian Labour Congress on the N18,000 minimum wage to workers in the state.

On Thursday, 8 th  September,2011, social and economic activities were grounded in Enugu metropolis following the rally declared by the Labour leaders after the expiration of a two weeks ultimatum to protest the refusal of Gov. Chime to implement the minimum wage.

The NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Peter Esele and other officials had stormed Enugu for the rally in solidarity with the Enugu state workers. On the morning of the proposed rally, the Labour leaders who lodged at the Gold Value Hotel, were besieged by soldiers and thugs who pelted them with stones. Those held hostage included the Deputy President, Kiri Mohammed;Vice President, Emmanuel Ajoku; NLC Treasurer, Nuhu Toro; A.O Anthony and the Acting General Secretary, Owei Lakemfa.

Pointblanknews sources revealed that it was a chaotic atmosphere which prompted the intervention of the Police led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police who entered the hotel and persuaded the Labour officials not to proceed with their mission.

 Lakemfa, after their release, told news men that soldiers and policemen stormed their hotel in the morning and prevented them from going out and people coming in to see them. He alleged that the state governor, Chime, was behind the incident, adding that when contacts were made, the Federal government said they knew nothing about the deployment of soldiers and policemen.

In a statement signed by its Head of Information and Public Relations, Chris Uyot, the NLC condemned what it called “resort to strong arm tactics and brutality” being visited on Labour leaders by Chime.

NLC accused the governor of deploying state apparatus of violence and also engaging hundreds of armed thugs to invade the hotel and physically prevent the Labour leaders from leaving.

“We are indeed shocked that the Enugu state governor has chosen the path of intimidation and violence by deploying soldiers and policemen to attack Labour leaders. The governor should be called to order before he ignites a blood bath and should be held squarely responsible if this happens.

“In spite of the resort of Chime to undemocratic, irresponsible and uncivil means in resolving the stalemate in negotiations, the Labour movement remains resolute and undeterred in its struggle for the full implementation of the minimum wage in Enugu state” the state declared.

   Pointblanknews gathered that the Labour officials were getting ready to go to the to the Workers’ Square, at the state secretariat complex, the venue of the protest march when the thugs and security men struck.

Pointblanknews sources further disclosed that Labour and Trade Union leaders had arrived Enugu to lead the protest rally after the state government   failed to honour the two weeks ultimatum issued by the Labour union, demanding the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage in the state. The source added that the protest march was meant to be the “mother of all strikes.”

An aide to Chime who pleaded anonymity hinted that the Enugu Chief Executive was unsettled by the name attached to the planned protest march, ”the mother of all strikes” and the personalities who arrived the state for the rally, which a statement from the organizers said, would be attended by civil servants, teachers, civil society groups, academic and non academic workers, market unions and members of the general public.

It would be recalled that Chime has been having running battles with his workforce over his refusal to implement the N18,000 minimum wage. The governor has insisted that the state can only add N10,000 to workers from grade level 1 to 6 and N5,000 to those on level 7 and above, a situation which has pitched him against the workers, leading to the ultimatum culminating in the ‘invasion’ of Enugu by the Labour and their TUC counterparts from the national headquarters.

Prior to the two weeks ultimatum declared by the workers, Pointblanknews learnt that there has been a breakdown in the dialogue between the government team and Labour in the state, which led to a three day warning strike being declared. Some of the leaders of the state chapter of NLC were alleged to have compromised their positions and this created confusion within the union. As a result of this, the workers rejected their leaders and later nominated one Comrade Osmond Ugwu, a member of the Union, to act as their negotiator.

It was at the height of this drama that the NLC and TUC national leadership offered to intervene and assist in the negotiations with the state government, but the latter reject the offer, insisting that they would only talk to Labour leaders in the state.

Even as the state government , through its Commissioner for Information, Chuks Ugwuoke, denied being responsible for detaining the Labour leaders at Gold Value hotel, critics of the Chime administration has continued to accuse him of authorizing the invasion by thugs and security agents to foil the planned protest.

In a statement signed by Concerned Workers, the group called on the Enugu state chief Executive to shun dictatorial tendencies and adopt strategies which would foster peace and unity in the state.

“Chime is fast assuming the toga of a modern day dictator. We recall that he also adopted a similar strategy when the Academic staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the South East zone embarked on strike last year. Enugu was the last state to reach agreement with the striking workers for schools to resume because he chose to engage in a legal battle which yielded no positive result to any side.

We call on Gov. Chime to adopt more statesmanlike approaches towards the conduct of Labour relations. The use of uncivilized method can never lead to any fruitful outcome. The two incidents recalled above prove our point” the statement read.

The Civil Liberties Organisation(CLO) has also added its voice to the growing condemnation of the incident. In a release titled ‘CLO condemns attack on Labour leaders in Enugu, signed by its Executive Director, Ibuchukwu Ezike, the group said   “many governors, including the Federal government, have since respected the new minimum wage law. State government which are yet to obey the law are negotiating with their workers. None, so far, has waged wars against their workers or the national leaders except the governor of Enugu state who, few weeks ago, attacked Enugu state workers led by Comrade Osmond Ugwu for demanding for the respect of the new labour law in the land by the governor.”

CLO also said that it had keenly followed the odious events in Enugu state since 1999, manifesting in gross and endless abuse of the rights of the citizens, including workers. It noted that during the period, over 10,000 workers were disengaged from the civil service by Chime’s former boss, Chimaroke Nnamani, during which time,Chime was the Chief Law officer and Commissioner for Justice in the state.

“CLO condemns the use of thugs (reminiscent of the military era), soldiers and policemen to attack workers’ leaders in their hotel rooms at Gold Value, New Haven, Enugu. This attack is barbaric.

“We condemn the refusal of the governor to pay the minimum wage to the workers of Enugu state as ordered by the minimum wage Law. We support entirely the commendable struggles of the Enugu workers.” The release stated.