NULGE, MHWUN move against Bayelsa government plan to sack workers

Urge reversal, threaten strike

The Bayelsa State chapters of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Medical and Health Workers of Nigeria (MHWUM) have issued a three-day ultimatum to the state government to reverse its plan to sack thousands of workers.

According to the workers’ unions, the ultimatum begins on Monday (today) and ends on Wednesday.

The NULGE and MHWUN, in a communique issued at the end of their crucial joint state executive meeting at the weekend in Yenagoa, said workers would resume a full strike if the government failed to heed their warning after the ultimatum.

In the communique signed by State President, NULGE, Akpos Ekiegha; State Chairman, MHWUN, James Adama; State Secretary, NULGE, Peace Chukwu and State Secretary, MHWUN, Letam Nwibani, the unions directed all their branch executives in the eight local councils to fully shut down all health facilities, markets and secretariats of the councils beginning from November 9.

The unions called on workers in the eight local councils and 32 rural development authorities to come to the state capital on Tuesday, November 14, for a mass protest on the streets of Yenagoa and the East West Road.

They resolved that only the Local Government Service Commission could hire and fire and consequently rejected ‘fake’ staff verification report.

The joint unions, therefore, called on the chairmen of the councils and Commissioner for Local Government Administration to immediately stop the implementation of the report to avoid possible serious crisis.

They said: “The state government is hereby given a three-day ultimatum from Monday, November 6 to Wednesday, November 8, 2017 within which to reverse the directive.

“All local council workers should resume a full strike after government’s failure to reverse the directive within the three days since the last strike was only suspended.

“Accordingly, all branch executives of NULGE and MHWUN in the eight local councils and 32 rural development authorities are directed to fully shut down all health facilities, markets and secretariats of the councils beginning from November 9.

“NULGE and MHWUN will no longer allow any external and fake report to infringe on the autonomy of the councils as a third tier of government in the country.