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Abia State NLC Chairman, Ogbonnaya Okoro
By LEONARD OKACHIE
The Abia Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the State Government to reverse the posting of the state Chairman and Secretary of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).
The state NLC Chairman, Ogbonnaya Okoro, issued the ultimatum at a news briefing in Umuahia, on Thursday.
Okoro threatened a three-day warning strike, if the “illegal posting is not reversed.”
He described the transfer of PASAN Chairman and Secretary, Sunday Kalu, and Ugochukwu Ucheka, from the state House of Assembly as “victimisation for demanding the implementation of the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS)”.
“The posting out of PASAN Chairman and Secretary from the House of Assembly was because of their long struggle for legislative autonomy and obeying national directive to demand their salary structure, CONLESS,” Okoro said.
He explained that after PASAN’s National Executive Council meeting in October 2024, the Abia chapter notified the government and NLC about the non-implementation of CONLESS for parliamentary staff, in spite the new minimum wage.
“When PASAN members shut the Assembly gate in protest, the Deputy Speaker and others allegedly broke the NLC chain used to lock the gate.
“We informed the Speaker that the NLC chain and key cost N2 million and was fabricated only by NLC blacksmiths in Abuja.
“We demanded compensation. They pleaded to resolve it amicably, but shortly after, they resolved to withhold and post out our members,” Okoro said.
He argued that the House of Assembly Commission is an autonomous body under the separation of powers, and l, under PASAN operate, a “closed shop”.
He cited the Public Service Rules and the edict establishing the commission, saying that elected chairman and secretary cannot be posted to another Ministry, Department and Agency, where other unions already exist.
“You cannot send out an elected chairman of a closed shop to another ministry.
“Invariably, you are removing him from his position because he has lost his union.
“Another chairman is already there. It’s another person’s territory,” he said.
The NLC chairman said the State Executive Council of the congress met last week and resolved to write Gov. Alex Otti, urging him to intervene.
“We have written to His Excellency, Dr Alex Otti, to use his good offices to rescind the decision.
“We are supporting his administration and the new face of Abia, but we don’t want industrial disharmony.
“Let the state chairman, secretary, and others affected be returned to their duty posts,” Okoro said.
He said that “NLC at the state level has resolved unanimously to shut down PASAN for three days warning strike starting from the receipt of that letter,” if the government failed to act within seven days of receiving the letter.
Okoro also reiterated the demand for N2 million compensation for the broken NLC chain, describing the act as “criminal and malicious damage” that should not come from lawmakers, who make laws.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the development adds to ongoing agitation by PASAN nationwide for CONLESS implementation across state assemblies. (NAN)
