NLC Flays Jang Over Plans To Travel Abroad

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has flayed the Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang for allegedly planning to travel to Germany for an undisclosed reason despite the ongoing workers’ strike in his state.
The NLC said the planned trip of the governor in company of his family members should be shelved in order to solve the ongoing labour dispute which has crippled economic activities in the state.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr. Emeka Wogu has waded into the matter by inviting the national headquarters of NLC and the state chapter of the NLC to a meeting in Abuja on Monday, December 17, to find an amicable resolution to the lingering crises.
But the leadership of the Plateau State chapter of NLC has turned down the invitation opting for the national secretariat to represent them while they stay back to monitor the success of the strike.
The Acting Secretary General of the Congress, Chris Uyot said via a statement in Abuja yesterday that the alleged action by the governor shows the disdain he has for the people of the state.
The statement reads in part: “Despite the lingering industrial crisis that the Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, has plunged his state into for the past six months, he has once again displayed his disdain and contempt for his people by abandoning the state for a foreign trip to Germany with his immediate family.”
Uyot stated that the action lends credence to NLC’s belief that he has neither respect for his people nor democratic credentials as a civilian governor as no responsible governor would leave his state in deep crisis for the comfort of a foreign land.
Uyot also berated Jang for rebuffing all interventions aimed at resolving the labour dispute.
“To also demonstrate his aversion for peace, he has ignored the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Productivity who has called for a meeting between the Governor and Labour to mediate on the issues, confirming his love for crisis,” Uyot added.
Speaking with The Guardian Friday on phone, the Chairman, Joint State Negotiating Council, Comrade Yusuf Zambuk said the workers didn’t want to take chances by attending the Abuja meeting.
“Yes, there is a meeting in Abuja on Monday at the instance of the Minister of Labour and Productivity between the Labour and Plateau State Government. The national leadership of the NLC is invited. We in Plateau State chapter are also invited. But we are not going to Abuja so that something we don’t like may not happen,” Zambuk said.