Benjamin Babine, Abuja
After five years of crisis between the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC), the feuding parties have now settled their differences with the ULC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, emerging as the Deputy President of NLC.
This merger of the two labour centres formally ended the longstanding crisis and division in their leadership which many said had weakened the capacity of the Organised Labour to effectively mobilise and challenge perceived anti-labour and anti-masses policies of government and employers.
Addressing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, the President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said that the leadership of the NLC and UCL are committed to the bond of “brotherhood and solidarity”, saying that the key reason for the merger was their collective interest to serving Nigerian workers.Wabba said: “The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the United Labour Congress wish to announce to the world that the strain within the ranks of Organised Labour in Nigeria has been resolved. The Nigeria Labour Congress led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba has fully reconciled with the United Labour Congress (ULC) led by Comrade Joe Ajaero. “The outcome of this quiet but sustained effort at making the peace is the fruit of reconciliations we are celebrating today. It is to the credit of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the United Labour Congress that the bond of solidarity was never broken even at the height of misunderstanding. “The NLC and ULC always cooperated and collaborated in defending Nigerian workers. This was the experience during negotiations for the new national minimum wage. “It is remarkable that in the dark furnace that severely tested our commitment and selfless disposition to our movement’s age long tradition of Nigerian workers first, we have managed to come out as gold, better and brighter.