Aremu Urges Labour Leaders to Close Ranks

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has called for a truce among all industrial unions affiliated to Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Secretary General of the NUTGTWN, Comrade Issa Aremu, said in a statement in Kaduna on Wednesday that unless the labour unions close ranks and work together for a common cause, the oppressors of workers will continue to have their way.

Lamenting the failure of labour unions to take a unanimous decision on the recent increase in the pump price of petroleum as a result of a crack among them, Aremu urged them to work together as comrades and not as class enemies, for the interest of workers.

“We regret that as we point two accusing fingers at bad governance and bad employers, the remaining three fingers point at us too who are unacceptably divided against ourselves rather than united against a common class enemy.

“It’s time we closed ranks to ensure we have a labour movement that commands the confidence of workers, be trusted by the public, respected by the government and employers,” he said.

The statement called on all labour unions to learn from the recent developments following the prohibitive increase in the price of fuel to get united for a vibrant labour movement rather than undermining each other.

According to him, “If we operate separately, we will be defeated separately. But if we operate in unity, we will triumph as one. The recent 70 per cent fuel increase is indiscriminate in its impact on transport cost and cost of living in general. The response of organised labour must therefore be inclusive and uniform, not disjointed as we recently witnessed.

“The worsening poverty, rising inflation, job losses and bad governance must task our imaginations as labour leaders to work as one instead of seeking positions for recognitions from governments and employers that do not deliver tangible results for the working men and women”.

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