It therefore demanded the immediate and unconditional reversal of the sack and the reinstatement of the 900 workers to their duty post without loss of pay.

In a statement issued on Saturday by its national chairperson, Mr. Rufus Olusesan, and national publicity secretary, Mr. Chinedu Bosah, the group described the sack as unjust and a violation of redundancy rules as stipulated in Section 20 of Labour Act.

The group recalled that Kaduna Electric recently sacked 900 workers in one fell swoop in what the management called “right-sizing”.

It said the sack, in reality, was the management’s response to workers agitation for better working conditions and a rejection of management’s anti-labour practices.

READ ALSO: 2025 budget: Lagos earmarks N1,052trn for infrastructural devt

CDWR said the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, accused the management of Kaduna Electric of recklessly and illegally deducting workers’ pension contribution but pocketed the money instead of remitting to the Pension Custodian and Pension Administrator for five years.

Also, it was declared that there were no medical services for workers amongst other anti-workers practices.

It was said that the extreme and autocratic response of the management that triggered the industrial unrest and strike that started on Monday February 3, 2025.

CDWR said even when there was genuine reason to declare redundancy, management was obligated to engage the union before embarking on any sack in compliance with Section 20 of the Labour Act.

The statement reads in part: “In this respect, the management of Kaduna Electric refused to engage NUEE, which makes its ‘right-sizing’ highly suspicious and unlawful. As a matter of fact, the workers of Kaduna Electric are over-worked and under-paid and so, there is no justifiable reason for any redundancy or mass sack.

“We believe that the mass sack of the workers is aimed at beheading the union while undermining workers right to unionisation, and collective bargaining. The sack is also aimed at subjecting the workers to an atmosphere of terror and intimidation so that management can successfully impose on workers terrible working conditions aimed at guaranteeing huge profits for the owners of Kaduna Electric.

“CDWR demands that the management of Kaduna Electric should immediately reinstate all 900 sacked workers, remit all deducted workers’ pension to the Pension Custodians and workers retirement savings account, end all anti-labour practices and enter into negotiation with NUEE/workers as a means of resolving all pending labour disputes.

“CDWR calls on the leadership of NUEE, the Nigeria Labour Congress (TUC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to mobilise for sustained mass actions including a strike actions to force the management of Kaduna Electric to reinstate all illegally sacked workers and meet all other demands of workers.”

The post CDWR to Kaduna Electric: Reinstate sacked workers or face mass action appeared first on Frontpageng.

CDWR, in a statement issued by its national chairperson, Comrade Rufus Olusesan and national publicity secretary, Comrade Chinedu Bosah listed the arrested persons as: Hassan Taiwo Soweto; Ilesanmi Kehinde; Uadiale Kingsley; Osopale Adeseye; Osugba Blessing; Kayode Anaheim; Michael Adedeji; Jennifer Rita; Orunsolu Oluremi, and Prof. Seyi Akinde.

Others are Akin Okunowon; Ugochukwu Prince; Aishat Omolara; Thomas Abiodun; Aghedo Kehinde; Duroorike Olawale; Isaac Obasi; Funmilyo Jolade; Godeon Adeyemi; Afeez Suleiman; Ogbu Obinna and Olamilekan Sanusi.

The group said operatives of the Nigeria Police Force attacked “the peaceful Endbadgovernance members who were converging for the memorial programme at Lekki.”

READ ALSO: Reuben Abati’s remembering Oluremi Oyo, By Bola Bolawole

The group said the 22 people were subsequently arrested and detained at the Lagos State SCID facility at Panti Yaba.

“This is one arrest and detention too many,” the statement reads in part.

Calling for the immediate release of those arrested, CDWR declared: “We state boldly that protest and dissent are not crimes, oppressing and attacking democratic rights is a crime that must stop.”

The post EndSARS: CDWR demands release of persons arrested Sunday appeared first on Frontpageng.

Isiak had on her Twitter handle said she had been detained following her decision to resign from the Nigeria Police Force.

The police authorities have, however, explained that she did not follow the due process in her bid to resign.

In a statement by its national chairman, Rufus Olusesan, and national publicity secretary, Chinedu Bosah, CDWR said her detention was an infringement on her right.

It also called on the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, and pro-masses organisations to intervene “in the ongoing attacks on the democratic rights of Fauzziyar Isiak so as to regain her freedom.”

The statement reads in full:

“Free Fauzziyar Isiak Unconditionally Now!

“It has been brought to our notice that former police officer, Corporal Fauzziyar Isiak has been arrested and detained because she activated her democratic right to resign from the Nigerian Police Force. According to Fauzziyar Isiak, she had shown interest to resign since last year but the Lagos State Police Command had consistently blocked her by dictatorially refusing to approve her resignation and issue her discharge certificate.

“Fauzziyar Isiak narrated her ordeal through her Twitter handle and the Lagos Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin has confirmed the undemocratic arrest and detention through his response by stating that the Police is not like the private sector and that until a policeman or policewoman gets his or her discharge certificate, he or she stays in the Police Force in spite of showing interest to resign. This bureaucracy amounts to undemocratically keeping an unwilling officer in the Force.

“Fauzziyar Isiak has been subjected to harassment and intimidation that culminated in her arrest and detention on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. CDWR strongly feels that the administrative process of discharging police officers who want to willingly resign has been weaponized to keep them in the police force against their will, something which is tantamount to imprisonment. Any rule that allows people to be kept by force in the Police Force is condemnable. In other words, it is despotic and a violation of fundamental human rights.

“Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) calls on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and Inspector General of Police to free Fauzziyar Isiak from captivity and issue her discharge certificate without further delay.

“We also demand that rank-and-file police officers be allowed to belong to a police union as a means to defend their democratic rights and better working conditions.

“We call on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and pro-masses organisations to intervene in the ongoing attacks on the democratic rights of Fauzziyar Isiak so as to regain her freedom.”

The post CDWR to IGP: Free Fauzziyar Isiak unconditionally now appeared first on Frontpageng.

The drivers operate under the Joint Drivers Welfare Association, JDWAN.

Also, the CDWR, called on members of the general public to support the protest.

In a statement issued by its national chairperson, Mr. Rufus Olusesan, the CDWR stressed the need to put an end to extortion, harassment, and intimidation of drivers not only in Lagos State but across the country.

The group also urged pro-masses organisations to support the struggle of the commercial drivers.

It also charged the leadership of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association, JDWAN, to be committed and ready to mobilize mass of drivers and run a democratic platform wherein drivers and conductors would collectively and democratically determine the activities of the union that would defend the interests of its members.

READ ALSO: Lagos: Taskforce arrests 16 miscreants over violence at Cele Bus Stop

The statement reads in full:

“Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, supports the plan by commercial bus drivers in Lagos under the auspices of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association (JDWAN) to hold a protest action on Monday October 31 over extortion and attacks by motor park thugs popularly known as “Agberos”. We appeal to the general public to support this protest.

“For many years now commercial bus drivers and other road transport workers in Lagos and across the country have come under constant and daily attack, harassment and extortion from motor park thugs organized under the “Road Transport Union (National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW)”. These Agberos are quick to molest drivers and conductors including damaging their vehicles if their unjustified and outrageous demands are not instantly met.

“This organised extortion has the backing of the government and some top government officials are beneficiaries. A report by the International Centre for Investigative Report and published in Punch Newspaper on July 23, 2021, has it that the extortionist activities of  Agberos in Lagos State generate N123 billion annually, something which is equivalent of the annual budget of Nasarawa, Niger, and Yobe states put together. The huge sums of money regularly generated and kickbacks to politicians and top government officials is enough to guarantee the support from these self-serving ruling elite. This explains why following the recent clash of interests between the Lagos NURTW and the national leadership of the NURTW, the Lagos State government intervened to back the Lagos NURTW (MC Oluomo’s leadership) leading to the creation of the Lagos State Park Management Committee with MC Oluomo as the leader.

“NURTW is affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, but its activities lack democracy and decency; drivers and conductors do not have any opportunity to determine how the so-called union is run, no meetings of the road transport workers are called, and no room to become a member of the union or dismember and all its activities are defined by force and threat. Money forcefully collected are not union dues but levies, more of an outrageous and compulsory tax. The extortionist activities of these so-called unions, Agberos or ‘Park Mangers’ as well as lack of regulation, and price control of the dominant unorganized private sector are largely responsible for the high transport fares.

“We call for an end to extortion, harassment, and intimidation of drivers not only in Lagos State but across the country, and urge pro-masses organisations to support the struggle of the beleaguered commercial drivers. The leadership of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association (JDWAN) must be committed and ready to mobilize mass of drivers and run a democratic platform wherein drivers and conductors will collectively and democratically determine the activities of the union that defends the interests of its rank-and-file members.”

The post Lagos commercial drivers protest: CDWR gives support, mobilises appeared first on Frontpageng.

It described the step by the federal government as a continuation of the antics to arm-twist the union and possibly lay the legal basis to attack ASUU and its members.

CDWR, according to its national chairperson, Rufus Olusesan, and national publicity secretary, Chinedu Bosah, also condemned the Buhari-led government’s neglect of public education and refusal to meet ASUU’s demands.

ASUU has embarked on strike since February 14, 2022, and the strike has lingered on for 7 months over the demands on funding of university education and better welfare conditions.

READ ALSO: ASUU strike has given me anguish and internal turmoil –Minister

“Education is an important aspect of society and should be given utmost priority, but the Buhari-led government just like its predecessors, are not interested in protecting public interest. Allowing public universities to close down for 7 months clearly shows the anti-people character of the Buhari-led government.

“At this stage, the solidarity of the trade union movement (Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress) is most needed. We call on the leadership of NLC and the TUC as a matter of urgency to begin the mobilization for a 48-hour warning general strike backed with mass actions to demand government meet the demands of ASUU and other unions and protest the under-funding of public education and healthcare, rising cost of living, hike in fuel prices, hike in electricity tariff etc.

“With this, the government can be forced to meet the demands of the striking university workers, increase funding for public education and retreat from other anti-poor policies.”

The post CDWR condemns FG’s suit against ASUU appeared first on Frontpageng.

ASUU started a four weeks warning strike to make the federal government meet some demands which border on aiding improvement in academic activities in the universities.

Some of the reasons for the strike action are government’s refusal to implement agreements signed with the union and haphazard payment of Academic Earned Allowance.

CDWR, in a statement signed by Mr. Rufus Olusesan and Chinedu Bosah, national chairperson and national publicity secretary respectively, also demanded adequate public funding of education and democratic management of schools to guarantee free and quality education at all levels.

The group called on Nigerians to support the strike.

“We also call on the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, to give active solidarity to the strike action,” the group said.

The post Strike: Meet ASUU’s demands, CDWR urges government appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is as it called on the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to intervene in order to save the workers from being oppressed.

In a statement by Mr. Rufus Olusesan and Mr. Chinedu Bosa, national chairperson and national publicity secretary respectively, CDWR said some of the leaders of the workers in the company had been unlawful sacked and others given punitive transfers.

The group alleged that the vice president of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, Femi Alawoyin, and the chairman of the Mouka branch of the union, Adeyemi Johnson, were callously sacked because they led workers agitation for improved working conditions some months back.

The secretary of the union in the company, Abosede Adams, CDWR also stated, was punitively transferred from Lagos to Aba while the Assistant Secretary Godwin Okon was transferred from Lagos to Ibadan in view of their participation in agitation of improved condition.

“These attacks were carried out as part of an orchestrated plan to intimidate workers and behead the union.

“We support the ongoing strike by the workers to protest the victimization and attempt to behead workers union in the company.

“The strike was actually triggered by the attempt by the armed police, numbering over 100, invited by the management invaded the company’s premises to arrest the labour leaders in Mouka. This was vehemently resisted by workers,” CDWR said.

The group said workers had embarked on a five-day strike in March 2021 to compel the management to implement the salary increment of N9,000 as agreed.

It said there was an agreement not to victimize workers for taking part in March strike but after a few weeks management started victimizing workers, leading to sacks and punitive transfers.

The group said at present, the contract and outsourced workers were about 300 compared to regularized workers who were about 136 workers.

According to the CDWR, the management was doing everything possible to convert all the workers to casual workers in order to enable it further enslave workers and make more super profit.

The CDWR called on the management to immediately recall the alleged victimised workers leaders, reverse and stop all forms of victimization, meets the demands of workers for improved pay and conditions and end casualisation and contract staffing in Mouka Limited.

“We also call on the national secretariat and leaders of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Employees (NUCFRLANMPE) to intervene in this ongoing struggle and support the demands of workers with all seriousness that it deserves. “We also call on Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to intervene in the struggle. Nigeria workers in Mouka Foam need all the solidarity to defeat vicious management.

“We call on workers to sustain the struggle and be assured of solidarity support from the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, CDWR,” the group added.

The post Mouka foam: CDWR condemns alleged victimisation of workers appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is as it also berated the government over the directive to arrest and prosecute Nigerians who use Twitter after the ban.

The action, the group said, undermined free speech and democratic rights in Nigeria.

It added that the ban would also negatively affect small businesses and jobs that depended on Twitter to transact business and for jobs.

“We observe the dangerous degeneration of the Buhari-led government into a full-blown Police State reminiscent of a dictatorial military regime. The Buhari-led government has repeatedly harassed and attacked activists, journalists, media houses etc. Most Nigerians are under economic, social and political siege! Activists have been arrested, detained and attacked for protesting unfair and anti-people policies. We witnessed how the Buhari regime and the military brutally attacked and suppressed the ENDSARS protest leaving deaths, sorrows and blood.

“These attacks are the typical Buhari regime’s responses to agitation against its anti-people policies and obvious failure to resolve any of the problems bedevilling the country including insecurity, the rising cost of living, ailing economy, factory closures amid rise in exchange rate, mass job losses, lack of basic infrastructure and nationality question. Buhari regime’s agenda is to hold the working people down in subjugation and slavery to allow a few privileged self-serving bourgeois elite to continue the loot and exploitation unchallenged,” CDWR said.

The group demanded the reinstatement of Twitter and respect for freedom of speech and democratic rights.

“We also demand an end to all forms of attacks currently going on including the release of all detained activists and protesters and compensation to all victims of brutality of the Police/Military,” the group said.

It said, in the same vein, it was also critical of big media including the big tech which were in the hands of tiny oligarchy, business moguls and the capitalist state across the world.

It said they were as well used to undermine the interest of the working masses and the poor.

“So, CDWR calls for democratic control of the big media by the working people. This will make it possible for the media to serve the interest of all,” the group said.

It added:  “We call on Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to end their strategic alliance with the self-serving capitalist ruling elite and government and mobilise the working people and the poor against all anti-poor policies, attacks on democratic rights and failure over the insecurity by the Buhari government.”

The post Twitter ban: Freedom of speech must be respected, CDWR warns FG appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is as JUSUN commences its mass protest today.

CDWR sought the support in a statement made available to FrontPage.

The statement is signed by Mr. Rufus Olusesan and Mr. Chinedu Bosah, national chairperson and national publicity secretary of the group, respectively.

The support, CDWR said, would make it possible to achieve financial autonomy for the judiciary as a step to a better working condition and proper running of the judiciary in general.

The statement reads: “Judicial workers under the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) have embarked on nationwide strike action since April 6, 2021 to demand financial autonomy for the judiciary as a step to a better working condition and proper running of the judiciary. The strike action has led to the shutdown of courts and has equally stalled the judicial process. As usual, the state governments and the federal government have failed to respond positively to the demand. The meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 16, 2021 between government and the union to discuss the matter has been recklessly postponed indefinitely by government representatives without any reason. In response to government lackadaisical attitude, the judicial workers are embarking on a mass protest across the country as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on April 19, 2021. We call on the workers to organize more mass actions including mass meetings, protest, rallies, public sensitization, press conferences etc., as a means of sustaining the struggle, mobilizing public support and putting more pressure on the government.

“In as much as we support the demand for financial autonomy for the judiciary, we call on the workers and the union to demand adequate funding of the entire justice system and democratic management of funds by elected representatives of workers, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and communities. This is the only way funds will be efficiently utilized for the benefits of workers and ordinary people. We make this point because judiciary autonomy does not automatically guarantee adequate funding and efficient management of resources.

“Judiciary is not only underfunded, the entire justice system needs an overhaul and adequate funding. Courts and staff are grossly inadequate making justice slow, cumbersome and expensive; access to justice for workers, ordinary people and the poor is extremely poor because it is expensive and the laws are mostly skewed against the working masses and the poor. We currently have thousands of innocent ordinary Nigerians and those who commit petty crimes awaiting trial and languishing in prisons across the country and some of the cases spending more time than they would have spent if prosecuted timely; we also have overcrowded prisons and police stations that have subjected many people to conditions not befitting for animals; besides, cases/matters linger unavoidably in courts for several years at the expense of workers and the poor.

“Hence, we demand public funded legal aid to all Nigerians who could not afford the services of lawyers. Workers and the masses would have to struggle to change the unjust capitalist system and laws that put the working class and the poor in perpetual subjugation and bondage if justice will be meaningful.

“We call on Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), affiliated industrial unions and all pro -masses organisations to give active solidarity to the ongoing Judicial strike and mass protest.”

The post Financial autonomy: CDWR seeks overwhelming support for JUSUN appeared first on Frontpageng.

Describing the working conditions as deplorable, the CDWR called on the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and National Union of Chemical, Footwear and Non-Metallic Workers, NUCFRLANMPE, to support the call for improvement in the working conditions.

The demands made by CDWR are: Improvement in salary and working conditions; provision of safe work tools; end to casualisation and contract staffing and provision of canteen within the company’s premises.

Other demands are to put an end to arbitrary sack and intimidation of workers; respect for the right to unionization; well-equipped sick bay within the factory premises and reduction of work hours from 12 hours to 8 hours.

In a statement issued by its national chairperson, Rufus Olusesan, and the national publicity secretary, Chinedu Bosah, CDWR said the working conditions were typical of those of slavery camps.

At present, the workers have embarked on strike from Monday to protest the poor working conditions.

The group also deplored the insensitivity of the company to the plight of the protesting workers.

It said instead of responding to the demands of the workers, the company “mobilized over 20 armed police officers led by the Area F Police Command who are intimidating the workers.”

The statement issued by CDWR explaining the poor working conditions reads in part: “Typical of slave factory camps, workers in Dura Pack work from Monday to Sunday every week without any  rest day and for 12 hours daily; there is no clearly defined condition of service; the wage is poor; workers are not given safety tools to work with; no staff canteen and workers are not allowed to go out at the break period to eat; salaries are determined arbitrarily as salaries are paid without a defined structure etc.

“For more than 10 years, the management has resisted workers’ demand to join the National Union of Chemical, Footwear and Non-Metallic Workers (NUCFRLANMPE).

“The salary of workers are in the range of N20,000 to N30,000 monthly and workers are abandoned when they sustain injury.

“A worker (Mr Chinedu Nwadike) who lost his wife and baby in the process of childbirth was sacked recently after he resumed work having travelled to bury his wife.

“Dura Pack, located at Ikeja industrial area is part of the Lee Group of Companies which is notorious for operating slave factory camps in Nigeria, though not fundamentally different from many other private companies in Nigeria.

“It would be recalled that on September 16, 2002, 37 Nigerian workers lost their lives during a fire outbreak at the West Africa Rubber Limited situated in Ikorodu which is also part of the Lee Group.

“The death occurred because workers on night shift were normally locked up and so when the fire broke out workers were trapped and lives were regrettably lost while many workers sustained different degrees of burns and injury.

“Till this present moment, the company has never been sanctioned in any way.

“The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has consistently called on the leadership of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear and Non-Metallic Workers (NUCFRLANMPE) to organize the workers. But the union has failed to do so despite the willingness of the workers to join the union. Workers in Dura Pack are ready to defend their right and interest but in the absence of a serious trade union leadership ready to lead the struggle, workers are at the mercy of management.”

The post CDWR condemns deplorable working conditions at Dura Pack industry appeared first on Frontpageng.