The Chairman of Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Alex Agwanwor, has dismissed claims that there were factions in the eadership of the congress in the state.
Speaking when the leadership of the Defence of Human rights and Democracy (DHRD) called on him at his office in Port Harcourt, Comrade Agwanwor, said, “NLC in Rivers State is united. No faction; no disunity. We have our house intact. All the 14 unions are still under my control.”
The NLC Chairman recalled the synergy that organized labour struck with civil society organizations during military rule and how they united to fight for the enthronement of democracy, and said such collaboration should be strengthened now that a lot of the citizenry is suffering under harsh economic conditions fuelled by high petroleum prices, inadequate energy supplies and low income of workers.
“We must all act collaboratively to fight for the people. Government must allow us to breathe. I was told that someone attempted to take his life because he could not afford transportation to his workplace. People are suffering,” he said.
On Rivers State, Comrade Agwanwor said the political crisis has impacted negatively on the development of the state, and appealed to the political actors to sustain the prevailing peace in the polity.
“We have not recovered from the losses of the six months of emergency rule,” he said, recalling that government and labour were supposed to have renegotiated the pensions policy for civil servants which expired during the period of the state of emergency. “Those who retired from service during that period have been left stranded. They have not received their benefits,” he said.
The Chairman of the Defence for Human Rights and Democracy, Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon, thanked the NLC Chairman for hosting the delegation and said collaboration between organized labour and the civil society is what was needed to keep government on its toes and make responsive to the needs of the people.
Comrade Solomon said whatever interaction that DHRD had with NLC would be escalated for the betterment of the larger society.
