LABOUR MATTER: ANAMBRA ELDERS HAVE COMPROMISED - OBIAYO

 Mazi Odera

 The leader of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Anambra State, Comrade Patrick Obiayo siad that the organised labour in Anambra State had lost the confidence of the elders of the State. Explaining, he said that the elders, including Church leaders have compromised and are all traders making money in the guise of mediating. Obiayo said this during a radio programme on rhythm yesterday.

Obiayo who could not explain while Anambra State is on strike even when other States in the South -East have either called off their strikes or are not on strike, kept referring to the need for a chart for payment.



In his own reaction, Comrade Peter Okafor, whose faction of labour union, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called off the strike said that it was in the interest of the State since Labour had derailed from the original idea of the strike because it had been hijacked by politicians. Okafor said that rather than hold the normal meetings to discuss the progress of the strike, that the leader of the NLC, Mr. Patrick Obiayo had been avoiding meetings because he realised that nobody wanted to continue with the strike. In his words, few times he called meetings; he invited strange faces and agberos, rather than actual labour leaders simply because he did not want the strike to be called off. We suspect strongly that somebody is calling the tunes for him somewhere.

On the claim  by Obiayo that Government was not disposed to dialogue, Okafor said it was a lie since he shunned all the invitation to Government House but readily went to Olde English, a hotel owned by a former Governor in the State, for meetings with all manner of groups.

Speaking further, Okafor said that with the payment of the minimum wage when other Governor were yet to pay, that the strike had been justifiably called off to give room for further negations between labour and the government.

Many callers condemned the position of the Obiayo-led NLC, especially in his abuse of the elders of the State as having compromised because they were mediating.

It will be recalled that each time there is disagreement in the State, elders have always intervened. The group are made up of people like Igwe Alfred Achebe, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Dr. Tim Menakaya, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Senator Ben Obi, Bishops Paulinus Ezeokafor and Alex Ibeziem, Dr. Ajulu Uzodike, Prof. Chukwuemeka Ike, Prof. Elochukwu Amaucheazi, Prof  Ben Osisioma, Igwe Peter Anugwu, among others.