The ongoing face-off between the Kaduna State Government and labour unions in the state has taken another turn as Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i on Monday berated the organised labour for threatening to embark on strike in protest against the ongoing workers’ verification in the state.
The state government also threatened to remove from the government’s payroll any worker that fails to participate in the verification.
In a statement through his spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, el-Rufai said the verification, which is a legitimate attempt to update the workers’ personal records, is compulsory.
In a scathing remark directed at the organised labour, state government was quoted as saying in the statement that “public servants first became employees before they became union members.
“Cooperation with the employer to verify the status of every worker is expected. It cannot be made a reason for industrial action.
“Refusal to participate in verification will result in the concerned persons being removed from the payroll.
“The labour leadership seems to be afraid that workers will opt-out of joining unions.
“If that be the case, the unions should seek ways to increase their attraction to workers, including persuading them to opt for continued membership.
“Inciting workers against a legitimate process of updating their personnel records is counter-productive.”
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