The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Rivers State chapter has restated its readiness to embark on an indefinite strike action if the ongoing police blockade of the premises of the Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat and denial of access to perform their duties and earn their salaries at the end of June 2013.

Chairman of the congress, Comrade Chika Onuegbu disclosed this last Friday in a chat with The Tide at the TUC Secretariat in Port Harcourt.

The chairman, who spoke through his Vice  chairman, Comrade Clem Onyeso said, despite the moves by some politicians to politicize the union, the TUC  would not fold its hands and allow its members die of hunger for over three months without salaries.

He described those accusing the union of receiving financial inducement to embark on strike in the state as greedy politicians who do not have consciences, and want the down fall of their   fellow humans in the area.

Comrade Onuegbu explained that the union was not after who became the council chairman or interested in the PDP crisis rocking the state, but the welfare of its members, who now bear the burden of the two PDP faction in the state.

He called for the release of the workers salaries, if not the entire council allocation and noted that 95 per cent of the members were paying their children and wards school fees from the salaries.

Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress has raised an alarm that none of the 12 newly-appointed judges into the National Industrial Court of Nigeria is qualified for the position based on the criteria of the law.

The TUC, in a statement by its President General, Peter Esele, said the judges did not have the minimum 10 years experience required to occupy such position.

It therefore demanded of the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, which recommended the lawyers to President Goodluck Jonathan, for a probe of the circumstances that led to the nomination of the unqualified judges.

The newly appointed judges of the court are: R.B. Haastrup (Chief Registrar of the National Industrial Court), L. Mani (Assistant Chief Registrar, National Industrial Court), W. Abali (Assistant Director, National Law Reform Commission), R.A. Gwandu (Director, Administration Federal Judicial Service Commission), O.Y. Anuwe (Director of Studies, National Judicial Institute), J.D. Peters (Director, National Judicial Institute), O.O. Oyewunmi (Chief Magistrate), E.N.N. Agbakoba (Legal Practitioner), A.K. Ikechukwu, A. Ubaka, P.O. Lifu and E.D.E. Isele.

Esele said in the statement: “to our utter dismay, the 12 new judges are not qualified under Section 2 of the National Industrial Court 2006 which provides for the appointment of legal practitioners of not less than 10 years standing with “considerable knowledge and experience in the law and practice of industrial relations and employment conditions in Nigeria” or a graduate of recognised university of not less than 10 years standing and has ‘considerable knowledge and experience in the law and practice of industrial relations and employment conditions in Nigeria.’

“We have confirmed that none of the newly appointed judges of the National Industrial Court met the requirement of the law and therefore are not qualified to preside over the industrial relations and labour matters. We are therefore compelled, as a major stakeholder in the cases decided by the court to request for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the illegal appointment of the 12 new judges of the National Industrial Court by the President based on the recommendations of the National Judicial Council. More so, that some lawyers who were qualified by law were not shortlisted by the President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Babatunde Adejumo because they are not connected to people in high places.

“We have confidence that the Chairman of the National Judicial Council and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Honourable Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, who has embarked on patriotic reform of the Judiciary, will not allow judges who are not qualified to preside over cases in the National Industrial Court.”