Some labour leaders on Wednesday said the leadership crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Anambra, was impacting negatively on the workers’ welfare in the state.
They made the assertions while speaking separately at a news conference in Awka on Wednesday.
One of them, an Ex-officio members, Mr Patrick Obianyo, said that division in the congress would affect the workers’ ability to collectively bargain for their cause in the state.
Obianyo called on the national body of NLC to intervene and resolve the union’s crisis in the state.
“The leadership crisis in the union is really unfortunate. It is affecting and impacting negatively on the welfare of the workers that we represent in the state.
“The congress is supposed to be fighting for the full implementation of the workers’ minimum wage, non-payment of gratuity to retired teachers and local government staff, as well as, non-payment of leave allowance to civil servants.
“But, due to the crisis, all these critical issues have been overlooked. We are now busy fighting among ourselves instead of fighting for our welfare,” he said.
Also, Mr Godwin Ibekwe, said that there was need to prioritise the larger interest of workers above the personal interest.
According to Ibekwe, government can take advantage of the crisis, if not resolved soon.
“This kind of crisis does not benefit the workers, rather it is the government who benefits more because the people who are supposed to hold them accountable are busy fighting themselves.
“We, elders and Ex-officio cannot fold our hands while things go wrong in the union.
“We are appealing to the parties to resolve the matter amicably to save Anambra NLC from total collapse,” Ibekwe said.
Commenting, Mr Humphrey Nwafor, the new interim Chairman of NLC, said he was duly elected according to the provisions of the union’s Constitution.
Nwafor said that the former chairman, after his retirement, violated the Constitution and illegally occupied the seat of chairman of state NLC for several months without calling for a bye-election.
“Let our members be informed that we do not have two chairmen of NLC in Anambra. I, Humphrey Nwafor, is the elected and only chairman.
“No foreigner should impose any leadership on NLC and Industrial Unions to destabilise the well organised unions in the state,” he said. (NAN)
