A CASE of removing the log in your eyes before complaining of the speck in other persons’ is currently rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The umbrella body of Nigeria’s workers, which has a history of fighting on behalf of wrongly dismissed people, is being accused of the same unfair, anti-Labour tendencies, by no less a person than its National Secretary, Mr. John Odah.

Odah, the embattled General Secretary of the union has rejected his sack by the National President, Omar Abdulwaheed, describing the present occupier of the seat as an impostor.

Odah, in a letter dated 20 June, 2011 and addressed to Omar, rejected the termination of his appointment, which he said went against laid down procedures, an action that Labour had always resisted on behalf of others.

He expressed dismay that the National Executive Council, NEC of the NLC could take a decision that would undermine and violate everything that the congress claims to uphold throughout the years as the defender of the rights and interests of workers.

His words: “The NLC has consistently fought, especially in the case of unjust termination of workers, for the right of employees to fair hearing and due process. The NLC has always presumed such workers innocent until proven guilty. The right to fair hearing as a cardinal principle of justice is now firmly established in the Nigerian Constitution.

“Our NLC has used this principle as a major point of advocacy in the struggle to defend the rights and interests of its members. It is therefore only in a world turned upside down that the NLC can now proceed to deal summarily with its own employees in utter violation and disregard of the very principles that it has sought to apply and teach to employers of labour, including government in Nigeria.”

Odah continued: “In an attempt to hurriedly deal with me, all fairness and decency were thrown overboard. I was never accused of any wrong doing for which my appointment has now been purportedly terminated. Even if it can be assumed that any accusations were made, I was never made to answer the charges before my accusers.

“As a labour centre/movement whose primary job is defence of the rights of workers, we cannot be seen, whether privately or in the eyes of the public, to dispense so brazenly and crudely with the services of any officer of the NLC. This applies even more when that officer is the General Secretary of the NLC.

“If your action which breaches the elementary rules of “due process” and “right to fair hearing” is sustained and allowed to stand, it will become impossible for the NLC, any workers’ organization, and indeed any worker in Nigeria to respond when our class opponents in the form of various employers – either private or public – unilaterally and crudely dispense with the services of workers in their employment.”

In the letter, the former NLC scribe described his sack as sadistic and unjustified, saying that he was never accused of any wrong-doing or invited to defend himself before any panel nor did he ever demonstrate incapacity to carry out his function. He, therefore, declared that he remained the valid general secretary of Congress.

“Your decision to terminate my appointment is therefore clearly unacceptable to me. It is unjust, sadistic, and violates all known norms of decency, justice and fairness. It is aimed at destroying my career, destroying my record of great service to the workers and people of this country.

“It is also calculated to portray me in very bad light before various publics, including international friends of the NLC with whom we have forged ever closer relationships over the years. I reject the decision to terminate my appointment and maintain that I am still validly the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

“I also believe that whatever you may proceed to do under the office of the General Secretary of Congress will be null and void and whoever you may designate to take my place, which is not vacant, will be an unconscionable impostor.”

According to Odah, his sack clearly sets a bad precedent for any employer in the country who would not hesitate to sack workers at the slightest provocation without following the due process.

He added that the foremost labour body had consistently fought injustice in the place of work saying this step would follow same path as he was ready to explore all avenues to reverse the ploy to remove him unjustly.

He described the present leadership of the congress under which the decision to sack him was carried out as not beingt the kind of labour body that generations of genuine and patriotic labour leaders such as Labour Leader No 1, Comrade Michael Imoudu, Hassan Sunmonu, Wahab Goodluck, Ali Ciroma and others made grave sacrifices for.

Omar had in a letter dated 24th May, 2011 wrote to inform Odah of his sack via a resolution of the National Executive Council (NEC) that he ceased to be the General Secretary of the Congress with effect from the same date citing re-organization of the NLC secretariat.

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