Date Published: 09/16/09
National Secretariat:
8 Agbado Station Road
Ijaiye Ojokoro Lagos.
P.O. Box 2225, Agege, Lagos.
Tel: 08034726127, 08053045953
E-mail: campaignworkers@yahoo.co.uk
www.nigeriasolidarity.org
4 LAGBUS WORKERS ARE INCARCERATED IN KIRIKIRI PRISONS FOR EMBARKING ON STRIKE
CDWR DEMANDS FOR THEIR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DROPING OF ALL CHARGES
Four Lagbus workers namely Mark Marvelous, Jeffery Okosi, Toyin Taiwo and Olanrewaju Babatunde were on Monday September 14 2009 arraigned at the Ikeja Margistrate Court 10 on a 3-count charge and subsequently remanded at the Kirikiri Prisons for participating in a peaceful strike action/protest on Monday August 17 2009 over agitation for better condition of service. 7 workers were actually arrested on August 17 2009 at Owode Ikorodu while on peaceful protest and after being brutalized 5 of them were subsequently detained at the Lagos Police command at the behest of the Lagos state government.
The workers were detained for 5 days at the Lagos Police Headquarter, which was an infringement of their rights since it surpassed the constitutionally stipulated period of 24 hours. They were granted police bail on Friday 21 2009 after their families were forced to cough out N10, 000 each by IPO Constable Rotimi and his colleagues.
All along, it has been one form of harassment or the other. On August 29, 2009 two policemen (Inspector Maureen and Constable Rotimi) alongside the pro-management chairman of the union, Mr. Alausa Ibrahim went to search their houses as if they were criminals. The victimized workers have been illegally sacked after the strike action and their August salary illegally withheld. However, as a result of the strike action, 64 other workers have been sacked by one of the contractors (Driving Solution Ltd) to Lagbus Assets management/Lagos State Government. Out of about 800 workers in the employment of Lagbus 500 are contract staff outsourced to 4 contractors: Driving Solution Limited, EXCEL, NURTW and RTEAN. Moreover, 10 workers were initially suspended indefinitely on August 27 2009 because they were trying to rally financial and moral support for their victimized colleagues, though they were recalled after two weeks.
The demands of the workers include a call on the Lagos State government to immediately put an end to contract staffing, increment in salary, a better condition of service, an end to indiscriminate sack, victimization of workers etc.
The 4 workers were charged for: (1) conspired to commit felony, (2) unlawful assembly to disrupt the program of Nigeria Bar Association and (3) diversion of 5 buses and malicious damage of same.
The Campaign for Democratic and workers’ Rights (CDWR) demands the immediate release of the 4 incarcerated workers and withdrawal of the charges. We call on the Lagos State Government, Governor Babatunde Fashola and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo should end the victimization of these workers. We equally call on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other pro-people organizations to join in the struggle to free these victimized workers.
