Acting General Secretary of the union, Mr Kayode Agbeyangi, made the call in his address at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting yesterday in Abuja.
Agbeyangi alleged that the recent outbreak of violence at the National Secretariat of the union was due to the interference of the NLC for selfish reasons.
According to him, like the proverbial sympathiser who cried more than the bereaved, NLC has gone overboard in expressing its interest in our internal affairs.
“The NLC took a one-sided decision that further threatened our effort to unite all interests and move the union forward.
“It is very sad and unfortunate that the umbrella body of workers that is expected to protect the welfare and right of all workers has turned itself into a tool used for an outbreak of violence and favouritism.
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“Also the flagrant abuse of constitutional provisions of the union by attempting to impose the erstwhile President, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa on the union whose tenure expired on August 28,” he said.
He, however, called on the Joe Ajaero-led NLC to discard their bias and ethnic sentiments towards the former General Secretary who is their kinsman.
He also urged him to refrain from further blackmailing the union in their desperate bid to authenticate illegality.
“What is expected of the congress at this time is to support without rancour, the ongoing process of organising a statutory National Delegates’ Conference of the NURTW as stipulated by the union’s constitution,” he said.
Agbeyangi also said the NLC and other relevant agencies have been duly intimated through official correspondences about the various resolutions taken at various organs of the union.
He said the union expects the NLC to respect the determination of the NURTW to ensure the emergence of a democratically elected National leadership for NURTW at the forthcoming Quadrennial Delegates Conference.
“We believe the congress will be honourable enough to support the peaceful process and to align with established legal framework and international standards governing industrial relations. That is what the congress claims to uphold, towards ensuring industrial harmony in the union and Nigeria at large.
“In the interest of peace, justice, and fair play, the NLC should give a chance to the Board of Trustees of the union to resolve the union crises internally as enshrined in its constitution,” he said.
The acting general secretary, therefore, said that strategic processes have been put in place to achieve peace in the union.
He also said due to the inability of the past administration to convene a Zonal Delegates Conference, a National Caretaker Committee.
Agbeyangi said the Caretaker Committee would prepare the ground to conduct a credible conference across the zones of the Union on October 5.
In a swift reaction, Mr Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC said the congress will not join issues with just any group outside the legitimate fold of the NLC.
“We have alerted the whole world that our leadership in NURTW has been cloned. The cloned leadership is also threatening to attack the leadership of the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC). I don’t want us to join issues with unknown quantities,” he said.
