Banner Online News

A major crisis blighting organized labour in Delta State may have deepened last Friday with the State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku accused of intruding and hijacking the election of Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (PSJNC), Delta State Council, banneronlinenews has learnt.

Those offended argue that the NLC State Chairman, is not a member of PSJNC and therefore lack the constitutional right to conduct PSJNC election.

Sources said that on Wednesday, January 17^th, 2024, the NLC Chairman allegedly constituted a meeting of PSJNC without notifying the Association of Senior Civil Servants (ASCSN) being the Council 1 of the 3 Councils of the PSJNC.

He reportedly briskly sacked the Chairman of PSJNC, Comrade (Mrs) Ikpen Jegede and instantaneously stopped her from presiding over the meeting.

Effort by the Mrs Jegede to protest her illegal removal by the NLC Chairman, who, prima facie, was not a member of PSJNC and constitutionally not allowed to interfere with day-to-day activities of the PSJNC, was arrogantly and dictatorially shunned.

It was said that the plan behind holding the unconstitutional meeting was to organize a kangaroo election just to usurp the original agreement of zoning the PSJNC chairmanship position to Council 1, in line with the rotational provision of the Constitution of the PSJNC.

“Ofobruku’s decision to surreptitiously edge out Council 1 from PSJNC is irrational and vindictive,” said a member of PSJNC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that it “laid bare a shameful episode in our history as organized labour”.

Ofobruku’s alleged intrusion to conduct kangaroo election for PSJNC which threw up a new leadership with State Chairman of NCSU, Comrade Benson Efetor as the new PSJNC Chairman has also been described as “disappointing and tragic”.

“It’s bad for NLC, it’s bad for the TUC, it’s bad for the workers in the State, it’s bad for progressive forces and organized labour in general,” aggrieved sources said. According to them, this is because he does not have the constitutional right to constitute or conduct PSJNC meetings or elections.

It was further argued that the exclusion of Council 1, marked the biggest split in the PSJNC, a sign that the organised labour in the State could further fracture, following months of infighting that is seen as a reflection of broader factionalised Labour Union in Delta.

Further reports say, union members of PSJNC and all workers who make Council 1 from Grades Level 7 and above in the civil service are spoiling for war even as they call on the State Head of Service to intervene before it’s out of hand.