Falana backs Labour strike in Kaduna

 The Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and beyond (ASCAB), Femi Falana, has supported the ongoing strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

According to Falana, firm action is needed to reverse the massive attacks on jobs in Kaduna State.

MuchTalksBlog learnt that the NLC had vowed to down tools on Monday to press home its demands; especially to the Kaduna State Government which disengaged some civil servants.

In April, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai announced his intention to sack some workers in the state, citing fiscal reasons.

But Falana, who is also a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); backed NLC’s decision to embark on a five-day strike.

He also called on well-meaning Nigerians to provide support for the industrial action, which he described as essential.

“Firm action is needed to reverse the massive attacks on jobs and poverty-induced insecurity in Kaduna State.

“Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and beyond (ASCAB) fully supports the call from the NLC for a five-day strike across Kaduna State; in the week beginning 17th May. We call on all our affiliates and supporters to provide support for this essential strike.”

“Kaduna State is now a dangerous state in Nigeria to live, work or visit; in terms of the regularity of bloodshed, kidnappings, and killings by bandits and ethnoreligious inspired violence.

“The level of insecurity in Kaduna State today is a function of unprecedented, cruel anti-workers policy of the Kaduna State Government; including repeated mass layoffs. The uncontrolled insecurity is therefore the ’harvest’ or product of the State’s anti-labour policies.

“ASCAB supports the strike action to stop retrenchments. ASCAB believes that the strike action is necessary to force Governor El-Rufai to stop his policy of retrenchments and job losses. We welcome the work that the trade unions have undertaken to embark on the strike action.

“We call on all trade unionists in Kaduna to ensure the success of the strike actions. ASCAB calls on all our supporters, all trade unions, and unionists across Nigeria to support the strike action in Kaduna State. We contend that halting job losses would be a major contribution to reducing insecurity across the state.”