Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has called the bluff of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), both of which at the weekend warned him to abandon the on-going workers verification exercise or labour would shut down the state.

Apparently responding to the threat, the Kaduna State Government on reminded all public servants in the state that it is compulsory to participate in the verification exercise.

A statement signed by Special Assistant to the Governor (Media and Publicity), Samuel Aruwan, said that it is a priority for the state to use the information from this phase to conclude the verification exercise and update its payroll.

He said: “Public servants first became employees before they became union members. Cooperation with the employer to verify the status of every worker is expected.

“It cannot be made a reason for industrial action. Refusal to participate in verification will result in the concerned persons being removed from the payroll.

“The labour leadership seems to be afraid that workers will opt-out of joining unions. If that be the case, the unions should seek ways to increase their attraction to workers, including persuading them to opt for continued membership. Inciting workers against a legitimate process of updating their personnel records is counter-productive.

“The Kaduna State Government has maintained a relationship of goodwill and respect with the unions.

“Complying with the provisions of the Trade Union Act to give workers a chance to exercise the democratic right to voluntary membership should not be a reason for strife.

“Kaduna State does not share the view that enabling democratic choice is either anti-labor or that it will spell doom for the unions.

“The government is still awaiting with keen interest the position paper of the labour unions on this matter. The Kaduna State Government has no problem with mass membership of unions.

“But its legitimate desire to establish an accurate personnel database cannot be truncated just because some union leaders are afraid that they may lose members.

“Once again, the Government urges all public servants to fill and promptly submit the verification data forms within the specified timeline.”

•Photo shows Gov. El-Rufai.