The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the Nigeria Police Force for restricting a peaceful protest by the non-teaching staff unions in Nigerian universities.
Benson Upah, head of information in NLC, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
The non-teaching staff unions in the universities comprised the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
The police had, on Thursday, restricted the unions from carrying out their planned street protest in Abuja over their four withheld salaries and other sundry issues.
The protesters were restricted to the Unity Fountain, where they had gathered to commence movement to the ministries of education and labour and employment to submit their letters to the ministers.
It would also be recalled that Beneth Igwe, the FCT commissioner of police, had told the unionists that the protest was restricted to the Unity Fountain for security reasons.
Mr Upah said that the reason for the peaceful protest by NASU and SSANU was that they had exhausted all means to get their salaries paid after workers in other unions had been paid for the same strike action.
According to him, the behaviour of the police is an affront to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and the African Charter on People and Human Rights, which guarantee freedom of association and speech.
”It is a violation of the Supreme Court ruling that citizens do not need the permit or approval of the police to peacefully protest and an insult to the dignity of self-respecting and law-abiding citizens.
“In light of this, we demand an immediate police apology to NASU and SSANU members whom they violated.
“We also demand the immediate payment of the withheld salaries.
“We had had cause to write to government as well as issued a press statement on this matter in the recent past.
“Government will be courting a major national industrial protest if it continues to ignore our wise counsel,” he said.
(NAN)
