Railway Retirees pass vote of no confidence on NRC leadership
The Association of Nigeria Railway Senior Citizens (ANRSC), the umbrella body of retirees of Nigeria Railway Corporation has passed a vote of no confidence on the leadership of two in-house unions of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).
Chairman of ANRSC, Mr Monday Nnaona made this known to newsmen during thier peaceful protest in Enugu showing to show their grevances.
Nnaona alledged that the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NUR) and Senior Staff Association (SSA) have been playing a double standard on the monitosation policy of the Federal Government on Railway quarters.
According to him, the two in-house unions were playing double standard and nursing a hidden agenda with the Management of NRC to sell the staff quarters to themselves.
“They want to actualise this by shutting the retirees out in the ongoing disccusions regarding monitisation policy.
“We went to National Industrial Court (NIC), Lagos over the monitisation matter and got a judgement in our favour, beside the monitisation policy gave us right to offer of first refusal,” he said.
He said the members of ANRSC condemned in its entirety the unions conspiracy with Railway Management to mislead the Minister.
“Any Railways Management staff, NUR or SSA making presentation to the Minister or Ministerial Committee on monitisation of Railway quarters to the effect that he or she wants to recover monitised staff quarters.
“In order to allocate them to serving staff, is insincere, selfish and dishonest such claim cannot be anything but a calculated and dubious ploy to mislead Minister and embarrass the Federal Government.
“While we appreciate the courage and good gesture of Minister of Transport, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, he must not allow himself to be mislead by the union.
“We wish to make it clear that the union cannot successfully settle this matter without seeking our input,” Nnaona said.
Former President, African Railway Workers’ Union, Mr Rapheal Okoro called on Nigeria Railway Corporation to maintain the court status que.
He said that In 2011 when NRC refused to do what other Parastatals and Agencies were doing , as the president of Railway Workers Union then, “i personally took them to court.”
“In January 2016 we won the Federal Goverment and the Management but to my greatest surprise, they appealed the judgement after many months.
“Since then, the case in appeal was delayed so that many of us will retire and now they turn around and tell us to relieve the quarter.
“Our stand remain that we are suppose to be in the Monitization Committee set up by the Minister because we need and must be heard.
“Whatever that comes out of the committee without our voice been heard arr not acceptable and cannot stand,” Okoro said.
