THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and their affiliates have been entreated to come out and stand on the right side of history by supporting the #EndSARS movement to end police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria; Coalition for Revolution (CORE) has stated in an open letter to Nigeria’s two labour centres.
The open letter, signed by Baba Aye and Gbenga Komolafe, Co-conveners of CORE stated that the NLC, TUC and each of the individual trade unions cannot afford to be silent at the moment when the youth are at the barricades fighting a good fight for all in the society.
“The youths fighting and those that have been killed include members of your unions or/and children of members of your unions,” CORE stated, while pointing out that professional organisations such as the Nigeria Bar Association, as well as women, including mothers and grandmothers, have been out in the streets in support of the youth’s demand for an end to police brutality and the killings of protesters.
“History is being made today. In years to come, generations of workers will ask where the unions were at this turning point… They will ask what stand the unions took. Not to take a stand is itself a stand and one which history will forever condemn,” the open letter stated.
CORE also implored the two labour centres and their affiliate to go beyond speaking out loudly to fully support the #EndSARS struggle materially, politically and in every way possible.
“To support the movement is indeed to support trade union members who like the protesters (many of whom as we earlier noted are themselves members of unions, but as individuals) face police brutality, suffer the consequences of bad governance and systemic exploitation and oppression which is at the root of bad governance.
We thus urge NLC, TUC & the trade unions to, without any further hesitation, join the protests with a 48-hour general strike to demand full compliance of the federal government with the #EndSARS #EndBadGovernance movement,” CORE entreated.
To read the full letter, click: PDF: CORE’s Open Letter to NLC, TUC, Trade Unions or Microsoft Word: CORE’s Open Letter to NLC, TUC, Trade Unions
Feature Photo credit: Oluwakayode Abimbola: Instagram: tistagreat
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