NLC: We won’t shy away from politics — LP founded to fight for workers’ interest

The Nigeria Labour  Congress (NLC) says it will continue to get involved in politics in order to bring matters surrounding the welfare of workers to the front burner of programmes and policies of the government.

Joe Ajaero, the NLC president, spoke on Thursday during a courtesy visit to some labour unions in Lagos state.

Ajaero said the NLC, as the founder of the Labour Party (LP), will continue to enjoin its members to champion the cause of the party and participate in partisan politics.

“We have an era that we are entering: era of politics, and we will not shy away. The Nigeria Labour Congress will be involved in politics; we are already involved in politics; NLC had a political party: the Labour Party (LP), and LP participated in the recent elections,” NAN quoted Ajaero as saying. 

“Nigeria must exist before we practice our unionism; anybody, who emerges as the President of Nigeria will work with us, and the rights and privileges of the workers must be guaranteed.

“The current wage system, casualisation policy, and outsourcing are anti-worker; with such policies, we can’t be our brothers’ keepers.”

The NLC president said the leadership of the union believes that having more LP representation in power will positively affect workers-oriented policies. 

“That is what we are going to impose on them; even the ones that have emerged as senators or House of Representatives members, they must, as a necessity, meet with us and we will give them our programmes,” he said.

“That is the whole essence of thinking of LP in the first place; so that their actions, inactions, and utterances will reflect the affairs of the labour movement, and there should be no pretences about it.

“We are not saying that people cannot belong to any party of their choice, but we have a party where whatever we discuss here, we take it there as workers.

“Where, if we want new minimum wage, we take it to the people that represent us there;  all these issues concern the workers, and we should no longer shy away from it.”