By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
The new Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, averted a looming workers strike that would have paralyzed train services on the five train networks across the country.
The nation’s oldest corporation owns and run train services on the two narrow gauges known as the Western and Eastern Lines, and three standard gauges namely; the Abuja-Kaduna, (AKTS), Itakpe-Warri (IWTS) and Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS).
The union leaders had sent a signal of what is ahead to the new MD while welcoming him to the headquarters on Thursday, as a result of their poor welfare.
The President General of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NUR), Comrade Innocent Luka Ajiji, said they were just waiting to receive the new MD before embarking on the strike action.
Ajiji, who is also the President, Africa Railway Workers Union (AfRWU), an affiliate of the International Transport Federation (ITF) moments after meeting with the Managing Director addressed the media informing them that the proposed strike is not only suspended but outrightly cancelled.
Ajiji, who was accompanied by the President, Senior Staff Association of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (SSANRC), Comrade Marcel Okeke, expressed happiness at the appointment of Opeifa, who like them, is a comrade and human rights activist.
“We are happy at the choice of Mr President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who gave us Dr Kayode Opeifa. We know of his antecedent at the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), and we, on behalf of all our members are assuring him that as a result of this appointment, we are not only suspending, but we are outrightly cancelling all machinery set in motion for an industrial action aimed at drawing Federal Government’s action to the plight of railway workers,” Ajiji said.
He said the two unions are canceling the protest in deference to the new MD and would be happy to commence the process of a new negotiation with the new MD because they are assured that they may get a new deal with him that would be better than all the old agreement between the unions and the management.
“We want to assure the MD that there is now a very perfect peace among the rank and file of railway workers for now, we look forward to starting a new negotiation with the Opeifa led management.
“We look forward to commencing a new negotiation with the new MD and his team because we believe that we can get something more from the new MD based on his antecedents and his pro-workers disposition,” Ajiji said.
The new MD, Opeifa said, he had insisted that the management invite the union leaders without an inkling that there are lingering issues and threats of labour unrest.
He pledged to work with the two unions to enhance service delivery even as the management would enhance workers welfare.
Also speaking, the SSANRC leader Comrade Okeke, said the senior staff of the Corporation would support the new MD in achieving his mandate and moving the corporation forward.
He said members of his union are happy with the new management led by Opeifa and expressed the hope that the Corporation would fulfill the mandate of the Tinubu administration as encapsulated in the visions to connect all states by rail network as contained in the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Acknowledging the gesture by the workers to embrace peace, Opeifa said he commence as soon as possible to engage with the unions on how to address all grey areas relating to their welfare, assuring that the corporation under him will prioritize the welfare of staff and their relatives to ensure their ultimate efficiency and delivery through better living and working condition.
Opeifa said under him, the NRC will prioritize rail service as a provider to encourage tourism, link people to jobs, link farm produce to economic and activity centres and improve on national logistics and supply chain management to have positive effect on goods and services reducing multidimensional poverty.
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