Defending Democracy and Industrial Harmony: A Call for Justice in the Wake of the Assault on NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero

I am a firm believer in the use of dialogue to resolve industrial relations conflicts. But a government, state, or any corporate organization that does not respect the rule of law, social dialogue partners, industrial relations standards, and procedures cannot hide under the canopy of the magistracy of the court to brutalize union leaders.

Two of the tripods of any rule of engagement are consultation and communication (2Cs). Once a social dialogue partner jettisons the first 2C, the offending party should expect the other party to resort to the third C, confrontation. However, because all the parties will continue to meet, interact, and engage for the good of the country or organization after any encounter when in the confrontation mode, they should also act within reasonable boundaries; they must exercise restraints so as not to throw away the baby with the dirty water.

What happened to the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in Imo state is an aberration in industrial relations practice. It should never have happened in a democracy. How could the agents of Imo state have displayed so much rascality and extreme brutality to have beaten the number one NLC personality in the country blue-black, to the extent of leaving him with a battered face and multiple bumps and blood shots? This is unacceptable and reprehensible.

If labor allows this savage act to go unpunished, it will become the norm, and spread to other states. No protester will be safe anywhere to carry out peaceful protests when this occurs.

So, I, by this post, would like to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make sure that all those who took part in the profanation of the IR temple in Imo state should be identified and brought to justice now. Not tomorrow!

Grace and peace!!!