TUC/NLC,stage protest rally to Sanwo-Olu’s office over ban of RTEAN,NURTW

UFOMBA UZUEGBU

Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), yesterday staged a peaceful protest with the Road  Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) at the office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-:/ Olu of Lagos State in Alausa, Ikeja, to register their grievances over the proscription of RTEAN and the National Union of Road Workers (NURTW) in the state.
Addressing newsmen during the rally, the General Secretary of TUC, Comrade Nuhu Toro,in the company of some labour leaders, said it was wrong for the government to ban RTEAN and NURTW in the state.
He said:”We find this ridiculous and it is important to put the records straight that the subsisting court judgement says the LASG must respect the rights of the unions. This is a constitutional right that must be respected.
“We are here to submit our letter of demands to Governor Sanwo-Olu and the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. We want to assume that the Lagos Governor is a gentleman. This is the first phase of our struggle and we expect t him to call the organized labour for a meeting within a week. The two transport unions should be allowed to operate freely in Lagos.”
The TUC scribe stressed that disobedience of court orders and infringement of fundamental human rights, as regards RTEAN and the NURTW, would not be allowed.
“Trade unions are on the Exclusive Legislative list, which in simple language means that states, including Lagos State, do not have powers over trade unions not to talk of proscribing them”, he said.
Their letter of demand, which was made available to newsmen, stated:” In your purporting to proscribe RTEAN, you violate the International Labour Organization(ILO) Convention No 87, which guarantees humans, the right to freely associate. Your government’s seizure of the RTEAN offices built by the union is a violation of your
constitutional duty to defend private property.
“The seizures by your government of two TUC buses, found on the premises of the RTEAN and repainting them, has no other word but theft. It is unacceptable that your government continues to hold on to the TUC buses and put them to use.”
Receiving the letter on behalf of Governor Sanwo-Olu, Engr. Olasunkanmi Ojo from the Ministry of Transportation assured the protesters that the Governor would look into their demands.
He told them that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, was in another assignment at the Deputy Governor’s office and that the Governor was not around.
He urged them to be calm, adding that the issue would be amicably resolved.
The protesters carried placards which read: “TUC/NLC stronger together”, and” When Lagos disobeys court orders,it is executive recklessness”, among others.