•NLC to honour labour friendly leaders
The Director-General of Micheal Imodu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Comrade Issa Aremu, has said President Muhammadu Buhari should be appreciated for dignifying the organised labour unions in Nigeria.
He said it is notable that under the Buhari administration, labour unions have freely exercised their freedom to declare and suspend strikes without victimisation by government.
He also applauded President Buhari for successfully managing the economic crisis of the country without retrenching civil servants as a result of economic recess.
Comrade Aremu spoke in Jos, the Plateau State capital during a one-day retreat organised by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity held at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).
Speaking with journalists after the event, Aremu said, “One of the things which Buhari’s administration has done is that despite the COVID-19 challenges, recession one and two, crude oil theft, and collapse of oil revenue, he has never retrenched.
“It is highly commendable that he has ensured job retention. In 1999, we never had it as bad as we are experiencing. The Obasanjo administration declared war on the public service. He stated that it was over-blotted and he started downsizing and right-sizing.
“This administration deserves commendation because the best way to dignify labour is to let people have something to do. Don’t criminalise employment or turn workers into commodities which can be thrown away. But Buhari has shown that despite the fall in oil revenue, he kept jobs; and not only that, he pays salary as due.
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“He went further to look at the plight of workers who are in uniforms. Also, when some state governors in 2017 were complaining that they couldn’t meet the challenges of the new minimum wage, he gave them bailouts more than once. These are facts. You may not like Buhari, but these are his legacies. And I hope that any future government will uphold these legacies and promote labour as an important factor in development.
“President Buhari paid consequential adjustments. Some state governments have done that. Let’s commend Governor Lalong, who as a result of prompt payment of salary and clearing the backlog is named, “Governor Alert”. We are willing, as part of our 40th-anniversary programme, to honour all employers of labour, be it federal, state, or public sector, who have respect for decent work, work that is secured and paid for on time.
“We would honour President Buhari as a president who has kept to the spirit of decent work. Even in ASUU, President Buhari allows freedom of association, and he has never harassed any labour leader on account of their union activities.
“You know very well that when we were confronting Obasanjo in those days, he was willing to dissolve the NLC if he had his way. All of us must work together to make that freedom go with responsibility. Just as you cannot overuse your power, the government cannot overuse its power; and unions, as well, cannot abuse their power,” he said.