Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has started mobilising its affiliate unions and civil society organisations to join the strike in Kaduna State, scheduled to commence midnight Sunday, May 16.

NLC had threatened to mobilise workers in both public and private sectors to shut down economic activities in the state over what it described as obnoxious anti-worker policies: arbitrary and illegal declaration of redundancies; premature compulsory retirement of all officers on grade levels 14 and above, by the state government

The Chairperson of Kaduna NLC, Ayuba Suleiman, and the Secretary, Christiana Bawa, noted that the decision was the outcome of an emergency meeting with the national headquarters in Kaduna recently

NLC directed all civil servants in Kaduna to remain at home for five days as a warning strike, after which further directive would be given.

It also urged civil society organisations, journalists, market women and men, motorcyclists and well-meaning citizens to support workers in Kaduna at this trying time.

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna sacked over 30,000 workers in 2016 and up to date their entitlements have not been paid

As at the time this information was passed, officials of the Kaduna State Government were not available for reactions to the proposed strike  but the government has persistently defended the ongoing rationalization in the civil service, citing bloated wage bill, redundant staff and dwindling revenue.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai said a significant amount of the statutory federal allocations to the state “is being spent on the wages of public servants.”

He said the decision to shed weight in the civil service was one of the necessary moves to salvage the state’s finances.

El-Rufai had also vowed to give “preferential treatment to those disengaged that are willing to take advantage of the state government’s various agricultural and entrepreneurship development schemes.”