Labour unions in Rivers have accused the state government of intimidation and indiscriminate arrests of their members in the bid to stop the strike called in protest over disagreement on the minimum wage payable to workers in the state.
In a statement, the state chairperson of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Beatrice ltubo and her Trade Union Congress, TUC, counterpart, Comrade Austin Jonah, said the state Chairperson of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria JUSUN, was invited by the state Attorney General and was subsequently arrested early Friday morning.
The unions therefore said they will not tolerate intimidation of their members by any organs of government and therefore asked that the detained JUSUN state chairman be released unconditionally.
The unions said the only weapon labour has is strike and none of their members can be victimised for embarking on such action.
It would be recalled that the state government had gone to the National Industrial Court in Port Harcourt where it obtained an injunction stopping a planned strike by the unions.
However, the labour leaders claimed they were not aware of the court injunction as they were not served any court order.