By Jennifer John
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma has repeated his assertion that no retiree will be allowed to lead workers union in the state.
The governor re-emphasized this assertion while addressing the newly installed faction of a labour union in the state who paid him a courtesy visit at the government house, Owerri.
He said the position of the law and policy of Imo State Government is that no retired worker should lead the worker’s union, instead they should go and lead the pensioners’ union.
“When I discovered that the last leaders, most of them were already retired, that they are no longer working for the government and once you retire from government work you become a pensioner and if you are a pensioner you go and lead the pensioners’ union, not to lead the workers’ union because you are not a worker anymore.
“That is the position of the law and that is our policy here in Imo State. That retired people should join pensioners’ union, while those who are not retired should be with the workers’ union. That is what we will be doing”, he remarked.
He warned the new leadership not to show hostility to the government which he said amounts to hostility against Imo people and promised that the government will cooperate with the new union to guarantee the welfare of Imo workers.
Fielding questions from newsmen, the newly installed factional Chairman, Ndubuisi Ucheghara said the change in NLC leadership was prompted by the recalcitrant actions of the past leadership led by Austin Chilakpu.
He said world over labour exist just to complement government and made it clear that the approach of the past leadership has been the cause of the lingering crisis between labour and government. He said every responsible government will resist a labour union that tries to bully or dictate for it.
“In unionism, you negotiate, you plead and find a way to use other methods to get what you want, not confronting the government because when you confront the government, workers will keep suffering. Labour union exist to protect workers interest and when that interest is constantly and continuously trampled upon, the union is of no use again”.
The past leadership led by Austin Chilakpu was said to have been sacked by Imo workers and replaced by a new one led by Ndubuisi Ucheghara.
