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  • Labour suspends strike for 30 days

    Labour suspends strike for 30 days

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have agreed to suspend the industrial action planned for Oct. 3, for 30 days.

    At the end of a five-hour closed door meeting, the Union leaders said that all the agreements have been given a time line for implementation.

    The document was signed by representatives of government and the leaders of the joint union.

    The highlights of the agreement are outlined thus:

    Arising from the withdrawal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Federal Government and the resultant increase in the price of the commodity, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) issued a strike notice which had elapsed and they were poised to embark on a strike billed to commence on Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023.

    Consequently, a meeting was called by the Federal Government to avert the strike and after much discussion, the following agreements were reached:

    1. The Federal Government grants a wage award of N35,000 (thirty-five thousand Naira) only to all Federal Government workers beginning from the month of September pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.

    2. A minimum wage committee shall be inaugurated within one month from the date of this agreement.

    3. Federal Government suspends collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) on Diesel for six months beginning from October, 2023.

    4. Federal Government accepts to vote N100 billion for the provision of high capacity CNG buses for mass transit in Nigeria. Provisions are also being made for initial 55,000 CNG conversion kits to kick start an auto gas conversion programme, whilst work is ongoing on state-of-the-art CNG stations nationwide. The rollout aims to commence by November with pilots across 10 campuses nationwide.

    5. The Federal Government plans to implement various tax incentive measures for private sector and the general public.

    6. On the leadership crises rocking the NURTW and the purported proscription of RTEAN, the Federal Government commits to handling Labour matters in line with relevant ILO Conventions and Nigerian Labour Acts. A resolution of the ongoing impasse is expected by or before October 13.

    7. The issue of outstanding Salaries and Wages of Tertiary Education workers in Federal-owned educational institutions is being referred to Ministry of Labour and Employment for further engagement.

    8. The Federal Government commits to pay N25,000 per month for three months starting from October, 2023 to 15 million households, including vulnerable pensioners.

    9. The Federal Government will increase its initiatives on subsidized distribution of fertilizers to farmers across the country.

    10. The Federal Government should urge State Government, through the National Economic Council and Governors Forum, to implement wage award for their workers. Similar consideration should also be given to local government and private sector workers.

    11. The Federal Government commits to the provision of funds as announced by the President on the 1st of August broadcast to the Nation for Micro and Small Scale Enterprises. The MSMEs beneficiaries should commit to the principle of decent jobs.

    12. A joint visitation will be made to the refineries to ascertain their rehabilitation status.

    Read Also: UPDATED: FG, Labour resume talks at Villa

    13. All parties commit to henceforth abide by the dictates of Social dialogue in all our future engagements.

    14. The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned Indefinite Nationwide strike scheduled to begin, Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023.

    15. This Memorandum shall be filed with the relevant Court of competent jurisdiction within one (1) week as consent judgment by the Federal Government.

    NAN reports that the agreement was signed by Minister of Labour and Employment, Minister of Information and National Orientation and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment for the government side.

    The president and Secretary General of NLC and TUC signed on behalf of the unions.

    (NAN)

  • Labour’s Independence bouquet

    Labour’s Independence bouquet

    For Nigeria at 63, organized Labour had a bouquet of spikes — an “indefinite” strike that nevertheless resonates with its long-suffering members.

    Poor folks!  They are riled up to mauling an instant Judas (the sitting government), for a long-standing economic angst! The question though is after the strike, what? 

    Now, compare the Labour spikes with the nest of feathers, thrust onto the citizens, in President Bola Tinubu’s balmy Independence speech.  Different strokes? 

    The way Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), marshalled his troops to at least get the one crippling strike he had craved since May 29, reminds you of Karl Marx — that bit about history repeating itself as farce.

    To boot, he finally got to his side the Trade Union Congress (TUC) — TUC nobles with the NLC rabble! — more perhaps for the TUC tiff with the Lagos government over the state’s Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) ban, than any ardour to go on a strike.  Indeed, my enemy’s enemy is my friend!

    Now, put Ajaero side by side with Adams Oshiomhole, now a senator of the Federal Republic, but then NLC boss.  Throw in their common anatomy — little guys that boss giants around!

    Then add, as spice, fuel subsidy — clearly the prime issue of Nigeria’s 4th Republic — with its co-irritant: importation of petroleum products, when Nigeria could more rationally — and cheaply — refine its crude oil, and all you have is the perfect storm.

    Oshiomhole fought President Olusegun Obasanjo to a standstill on petrol pricing yo-yo, with the government reversing price hikes after strikes, but not to pre-strike levels.

    In this Labour-government show down, Ajaero would hope to go one farther: force President Tinubu to junk oil subsidy removal, shove down pump prices to pre-May 29 levels — or otherwise face an indefinite strike that would cripple the economy!

    Still, how many days does NLC think it could get its members off work before fatigue — euphemism for search for daily bread — sets in?  Even in Oshiomhole’s triumphant days, strikes hardly lasted for three days before troubling signs of sudden abortion.

    Besides, NLC has asked its members — and the general public — to stock up.  But really how many have the capacity to do that with the present economic throes?  

    Even those that could, how much could they possibly “stock up” to sustain an “indefinite” strike?

    And after “stock up” and triumphant crippling, how can a stark economy, further drained, support workers’ demands for better deals?

    Ajaero craving an Oshiomhole-era triumph is no more than a craven dream — bold cowardice in rushing at new challenges with old methods.  In such circumstances, history can only repeat itself as farce!

    That’s the thing, though: times have changed but Labour is fixated with set past practices, instead of thinking anew, to get more for its members.  

    Still, none of all these suggests organized Labour is the sole sinner, while the government it contends with is a saint — far from it.

    Read Also: Nigeria@63: Oyo NLC, TUC shun parade

    If you remove subsidy without local refining; and float the Naira such that every kobo buys far less than hitherto, then brace yourself for a stiff social cost!

    The first manifestation of that is anger from the hoi polloi — the first (and worst) to be hit by spiralling prices, no matter how much that jolt could push a strategy that may eventually improve their lives.

    Then, you risk Labour leaders, stuck in old ways but deathly scared to think anew, milking the raw emotions, and basking in popular roar, as they tear at the government for “anti-people” policies.

    Between earnest unionism and artful dissembling, there is but a thin line!

    But pray: how can a government that just earned its legitimacy, from a tough election, from the same people, suddenly turn rogue and unfeeling on them?  

    That’s hardly logical.  Still, emotion is mushy rush to hurting answers, especially when the pocket burns!

    Aside from eager “critics” and sundry anarchists, feasting on yet another “pro-people” crusading, add baleful foes diving into the fray for cheap and nasty politics.

    Ram in too the hybrid agitators, in this season of virulent partisanship.  

    Pray, who does Ajaero represent — NLC, as he postures?  Peter Obi’s Labour Party, which Joe and co blindly backed but who lost at the polls, but continues to deny the obvious?  Or both in different degrees, as cynically convenient!

    But after all the high drama, after all the thunder, after all the tempest, the economy is no magic the government must quickly conjure, or be roasted at the stakes.  

    That is the fundamental folly of rushing into strikes, as Ajaero’s NLC has been bristling to do.  That again reinforces that earlier question: after the strike, then what?

    The poor economy, integral and systemic, demands a productive Labour-government partnership, anchored on mutual trust.  It’s a critical juncture at which old thinking must yield to new: patient collaboration, against hasty confrontation.

    Still, it’s hard times.  So, the government should — indeed, must — concede to the people as much quick reliefs as possible.  

    Incidentally, from the president’s Independence broadcast, the government already offered some reliefs: workers to get additional N25, 000 for six months; the expanded National Social Register (NSR) to now accommodate 15 million Nigerian households, and compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered buses deployed to down transport costs.  

    Salary awards and CNG buses are two prominent demands on the Labour strike menu. Later, Femi Gbajabiamila, the presidential chief of staff, announced the raise of the wage award, from N25, 000 to lowest earners to N35, 000 to every worker, low or high.

    Still, the people too must accept that initial pains come with tough measures to crack hard times. 

    Why the six months duration for the wage awards, though?  Could it be that in six months, some local refining would have been in place, leading to lower pump prices of petrol, thus tamping down the present high inflation?

    Inasmuch as the the government may not fully expose its strategy, a clear timeline, detailing when the many refineries in the works will come on stream, should help to shore up public confidence, sympathy and eventual support.

    Besides, that alone will help defang Labour’s eternal refinery agitations, public or private — no crime, though — and force fresher thinking on union leaders, so as to  extract the best deals, in challenging times, for their members.

    So, while this government has the bounden duty to fix the economy — President Tinubu is the first to tell folks not to pity him, since he campaigned hard for the job — changed attitudes, on both sides, are imperative.

    Enter then, a new cold pragmatism that thinks through the harsh reality.  

    Exit, fond dreams that purport strikes could prise open resources simply not there.

    Both the government and Labour should tread this new collaborative path all of the way.

  • UPDATED: FG, Labour resume talks at Villa

    UPDATED: FG, Labour resume talks at Villa

    The federal government and the organised Labour are currently in a meeting, just hours ahead of the workforce’s planned nationwide strike.

    The meeting, which is a follow-up on the one held on Sunday, October 1, is meant to indicate organised Labour’s final decision on the government’s offers present at the previous day’s engagement.

    It would be that President Bola Tinubu had agreed to a N35,000, Provisional wage increment demand by labour after his initial N25,000 approval for the average low-grade worker to run for six months was rejected.

    Instead, labour insisted that the provisional wage increment should be across the board and run till a new minimum wage expected to be negotiated next year is put in place. 

    A statement issued by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris explained that some of the resolutions reached at the Sunday meeting were that, “the issues in dispute can only be resolved when workers are at work and not when they are on strike.

    “Labour Unions argued for higher wage awards and the Federal Government Team promised to present Labour’s request to President Bola Tinubu for further consideration.

    “A sub-committee to be constituted to work out the details of implementation of all items for consideration regarding government interventions to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

    “The lingering matter of Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State needs to be addressed urgently and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who participated virtually, pledged to resolve the matter.

    “NLC and TUC will consider the offers by the Federal Government with a view to suspending the planned strike to allow for further consultations on the implementation of the resolutions above.”

    Read Also: BREAKING: FG, Labour in last minute attempt at averting strike

    On the federal government’s side are the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Muhammed Idris; the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon Nkiruka Onyejeocha; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz.

    On the side of the organised Labour are the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero; the President of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo; the Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Emma Ugbaja; the TUC Secretary General, Nuhu Toro, among others.

  • BREAKING: Labour leaders arrive Villa over proposed strike

    BREAKING: Labour leaders arrive Villa over proposed strike

    The leaders of the organised labour have arrived at the State House for their meeting with representatives of the government over the impending strike planned to commence on Tuesday, October 3.

    The Nation reported that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) will commence an indefinite strike on Tuesday, October 3.

    It was reported on Sunday, October 1, that President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, noted that the two labour groups, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the TUC, had some agreements with the government and may end up suspending their proposed nationwide strike.

    Read Also: BREAKING: FG, Labour in last minute attempt at averting strike

    Gbajabiamila claimed that the Federal Government has agreed to devise methods to resolve the conflict brought on by the elimination of the fuel subsidy.

    Details Shortly…

  • BREAKING: FG, Labour in last minute attempt at averting strike

    BREAKING: FG, Labour in last minute attempt at averting strike

    The federal government and the organised Labour have just commenced another negotiation meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting, which was called by the federal government, is a last minute effort at preventing the nationwide indefinite strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).

    Attending the ongoing meeting on the side of the organised Labour are the NLC President, Joe Ajaero; Secretary of the TUC, Nuhu Toro and his counterpart from NLC, Emma Ugbaja.

    Read Also: BREAKING: FG invites organised Labour to another meeting today

    The government team is led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

    Other members of the government team include the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, the Minister of State, Nkeiruka Onyejecha, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu 

    Also present are some directors from the Ministry of Labour and Employment. 

    There was no opening ceremony as the meeting went straight into closed-doors.

  • BREAKING: FG invites organised Labour to another meeting today

    BREAKING: FG invites organised Labour to another meeting today

    As part of efforts to avert the impending nationwide indefinite strike called by organised Labour, the federal government has invited Labour leaders for another interaction at 2 pm today, October 1, at the State House, Abuja.

    A meeting scheduled last Friday, September 29, between the government and Labour, at the State House, failed to hold as representatives of the organised Labour refused to show up.

    According to a Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment’s memorandum issued by the Director, of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Emmanuel Igbinosun, on behalf of the Minister, addressed to the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the meeting is slated to hold in the Chief of Staff’s Conference Room, State House.

    Read Also: Nigeria@63: Oyo NLC, TUC shun parade

    The statement read: “Further to my earlier correspondence on the above subject, I once again bring greetings from the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment.

    “I am directed to invite the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for a meeting with the Government on the above subject scheduled as follows; Date:- Sunday, October 1st, 2023; Time:- 2 pm; Venue:- Aso Villa Conference Room of the office of the Chief of Staff to Mr President.

    “Please be assured as always of the kind regards of the Hon. Minister of Labour & Employment”, the memorandum said.

    The meeting is expected to be attended by the national leadership of both the NLC and that of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    Expected at the meeting from the government side are Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Labour and Employment, Hon Simon Lalong; Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon Nkiruka Onyejeocha and other top government officials.

    Details shortly…

  • Strike: Labour adamant, shuns parley called by govt

    Strike: Labour adamant, shuns parley called by govt

    • We’re not in violation of any court order, NLC insists
    • Tinubu, Sultan: Strike will cause severe hardship for masses

    Hope of the Federal Government averting the planned strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) dimmed yesterday after the unions shunned a last-minute parley with government officials on the issues at stake.

    Labour insisted on proceeding with the strike.

    It denied claims by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) that the planned strike would amount to violation of a court order.

    Counsel to organised labour, Femi Falana (SAN), advised government to reopen negotiation with his clients while President Bola Tinubu and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday appealed to labour to reconsider its position and shelve the planned action “in the interest of the masses.”

    The federal authorities had called an emergency meeting yesterday with representatives of labour to sort out their differences.

    The Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, and Labour and Employment Minister, Simon Lalong, were supposed to lead the FG delegation, only for labour to stay away.

    Lalong was sighted in the CoS’s office in preparation for the meeting up till about 5:30pm while the expected Labour leaders were nowhere to be found.

    Sources close to the office of the Chief of Staff said the meeting had been rescheduled for this weekend.

    One of the sources said: “They had to disperse since the NLC and TUC people didn’t show up. There must have been a reason and I believe they would have communicated their reasons to those waiting for them.

    “I learned though that the meeting has been rescheduled for sometime during the weekend, but I don’t know when precisely.”

     Labour had accused government of lack of seriousness, saying its planned strike action is on account of  the current economic downturn.

    We’re not in violation of any court order – NLC

    Reacting yesterday to claims by Fagbemi that Labour would be acting in violation of a subsisting court order if it proceeded with the planned strike, the NLC said there was no such order in existence.

    President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, said in a statement that what Fagbemi called a subsisting order had lapsed “due to non-diligent prosecution”.

    “We are shocked that Mr Lateef Fagbemi is referring to a restraining order issued on June 5 through motion ex parte which the Ministry of Justice in a formal statement had said lapsed due to non-diligent prosecution,” Ajaero said.

    “Which order could Fagbemi be talking about here? We demand to know.

    “We similarly find it necessary to remind Fagbemi that equating a restraining order to a perpetual injunction will do no small damage to our legal/judicial system.

    “For once, we find it appropriate to reveal to the world that the court refused to sit during the pendency of the order to take our response to that order!

    “Even though we would not want to be drawn into details here, representatives of the Federal Government on the National Steering Committee are on record to have said in the Villa that their mandate did not extend to subsequent increments after the one of N187–N537 thus differentiating between the issues for which the order (that has since run out of time) was issued.

    “There are two ministerial portfolios whose offices constitutionally do not admit partisanship in the discharge of their duties. These are the Minister of Labour and Employment, and Minister of Justice. In addition to their regular duties, they are expected to play the umpire role.

    “But here we find a Minister of Justice whose first major outing is not only an open partisanship but has descended into the arena with his robe and wig, losing in the process the umpire status!

    “To gag us, to bind us, to tie us to the pole for life without a chance to hear us out will constitute not just malicious conduct but grievous injury to our fundamental human rights as enshrined in the 1999 constitution (as amended).

    “We refuse to be gagged. We also want to remind those in power of their own history when they were out of power!

    “We find it pathetic that Mr Fafgbemi strives to operate from the high moral ground by advising ‘Labour Unions on the need to protect the integrity of courts and observe the sanctity of court orders.’

    “Who is causing more injury to the sanctity of the courts? Those seeking to convert a restraining order obtained under the cover of the night to a perpetual injunction or the victims of this terrorism?”

    Falana to govt: Re-open negotiation with NLC, TUC

    But counsel to NLC and TUC, Femi Falana, believes the deadlock can still be reversed.

    He therefore wants government to reopen negotiation with his clients.

    Falana, in his response to Fagbemi’s claim that the planned nationwide strike would amount to “a violation of the subsisting order and a disregard to the dignity and integrity of the court,” said negotiation between the two parties broke down after government obtained the ex parte order.

    His words:”You will agree with us that since the ex parte order was procured by the Federal Government at the National industrial Court on June 5, 2023, negotiations in respect of the subject matter of the proposed strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress ought to have been concluded.”

    He said while the organised labour are not inclined to join issues with the minister over the alleged disobedience of the court order by Nigerian workers, they are “compelled to advise the Federal Government to resume negotiations with the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress in the interest of industrial peace in the country.”

    Tinubu, Sultan urge NLC, TUC to shelve strike

    President Tinubu and Sultan Abubakar said in Abuja that a strike at this time would not serve the best interest of the masses.

    Read Also: Labour shuns meeting with FG over proposed strike

    They both spoke during the Public Lecture and Special Juma’at prayer to mark Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Anniversary.

    Tinubu who was represented by Senate Deputy President Barau  Jibrin said: “Let’s dialogue, let’s sit together, let’s understand ourselves and let’s look at the prevailing situation in the country.

    “How do we meet this country’s challenges ahead and the current challenges? It is through dialogue that we can solve our problems collectively.

    “This government is new and it is working hard to bring succour to the entire people of this country. It has set aside N500 billion and other packages are being unveiled to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.

    “Therefore, we need to support and pray for the government.”

    On his part, the Sultan asked labour to give the federal government another chance.

    He said: “I am an advocate of dialogue because strikes don’t solve problems; they make them worse. Our leaders must tighten their belt. The common man is suffering.

    ”I don’t think this government will just decide to make life bad for the people; as leaders and elders, we will always call on stakeholders not to embark on journeys that will make life worse for the common man

    “I don’t think government can take it upon itself to make life unbearable for the common man. Let’s give them chance and see what they can do.

    ”If people are on strike, there wouldn’t be electricity, water, hospital and transportation system.

    ”Please, let’s reach out to our brothers and sisters who are clamouring to go on strike. They should have a rethink. Please, on behalf of the President and the entire government, this is not the time for strike. It is too early.

    ”Please let’s dialogue, let’s get together, let’s understand ourselves and let us look at the prevailing situation in the country.

    “President Tinubu will not know because he is in the Villa where everything is at his comfort. I think I’m the only one who would feel that there is strike because people will come to me. My house must open I can’t ask anybody to go out. The common man will suffer the more and that is why we are against anything strike by anybody,” Sultan said.

    “For God’s sake, for Allah’s sake, anybody planning to go on strike should please give the government another chance. Please rethink and give the government another chance,” he said, while emphasising the need for the labour leaders to embrace dialogue.

    Rivers NLC, TUC direct members to comply with proposed strike 

    Leaders of NLC and TUC in Rivers State yesterday asked their members to comply with the proposed October 3 strike.

    The state chairpersons of NLC, Alex Agwangwor and TUC, Ikechukwu Onyefuru, gave the directive at the end of their joint executive council meeting in Port Harcourt.

    Their joint statement directed to the workers said: “You are hereby kindly requested to ensure full mobilization for total compliance.”

    Bauchi NLC too

    Similarly, the NLC in Bauchi State said yesterday that it was gearing up and mobilising members for the strike.

     Mr Dauda Shu’aibu, the State NLC Chairman, said in Bauchi that the strike was in the spirit of the Independence Day celebration and to demonstrate resolve for a truly independent Nigeria to take our destinies in our own hands and rescue our nation.

    Shelve your action, group tells NLC, TUC

    However, a support group of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), National Progressive Hub (NPH), appealed to organised labour to shelve their planned nationwide strike in the overall interest of the citizens of the country.

    The appeal was contained in a statement by the NPH National Coordinator, Hon. Bukie Okangbe in Abuja yesterday.

    The group advised the labour leaders to continue to engage government in dialogue rather than embarking on an action that will further worsen the economic situation.

     Okangbe appealed to the two labour groups and their affiliates to give the federal government the benefit of the doubt in restructuring the economic framework of the country as spelt out in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.

     We are prepared for proposed strike – Police

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said officers and men of the Force are prepared to forestall any breakdown of law and order before, during and after the proposed strike.

    The police said all preparation have been put in place to maintain peace.

    All efforts to get the reaction of the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh were futile, but a top source in the police who pleaded animosity gave the assurance.

    He said: “We are not leaving anything to chance. Our Jon is to protect Nigerians and maintain peace.

    “We are fully prepared to do the needful.

    “I can assure you that there will be no cause for alarm if the strike holds”.

  • OPS, Speaker, others oppose Labour strike call

    OPS, Speaker, others oppose Labour strike call

    • NLC, TUC fix Oct 3 for indefinite strike

    The Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas yesterday expressed concern over organised Labour’s resolve to embark on an indefinite strike on October 3.

    They appealed to Labour to have a rethink because the strike could further worsen the nation’s economic challenges and the plight of Nigerians.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume and Minister of Labour and Employment Simon Lalong have similarly urged Labour to march the brake in their strike plan.

    Lalong also assured that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would soon announce the wage award for workers and that apart from the release of N2 billion each to states, more palliatives were in the process of being delivered.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced their decision to proceed with the strike at a joint news conference in Abuja.

    Their decision to go ahead with the strike followed the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government early in September to meet some demands to cushion the effects of the May 29 removal of petrol subsidy. 

    The ultimatum ended on Friday. Prior to its expiration, the NLC had on September 5 and 6 embarked on a two-day warning strike to drive home the demands.

    TUC did not take part in the warning strike, saying it preferred to dialogue with the government before resorting to industrial action.

    Some of the demands are wage award, tax exemption,   payment of allowances to public sector workers, provision of Compressed Natural Gas buses and release of modalities for the payment of  N70 billion to Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs).

    Others include the immediate reversal of anti-poor policies of the government, the hikes in petrol price,  public school fees, Value Added Tax (VAT);  payment of the eight months withheld salaries of university teachers and workers,  release of officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers by the police and an end to  Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria crisis in Lagos.

     On Friday, Lalong, secured the release of the detained members of NURTW.

     Lalong, who received freed NURTW leaders who were in his office on a thank-you visit, had announced that the workers may begin the enjoy the wage award in the next one week.

    He said that the release of the NURTW leaders was one of the two conditions labour chiefs recently gave for not proceeding on a definite strike.

    Read Also: ‘Labour strike will cost Kaduna huge economic losses’

    Although the minister could not be reached as of press time, the  Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Olajide Oshundun, said he was optimistic that the strike would not hold.

    He said:  “Before the end of the one week, I can assure you there will be development and that strike will not hold.”

    NLC President Joe Ajaero and and his TUC counterpart,  Festus Osifo, who addressed the news conference, said labour took the decision because the government has not in “any substantial way, met the demands as previously canvassed in our mutually agreed roadmap” to averting work boycott.

    They accused the government of being lethargic and tardy in handling the issues at stake.  

    They said: “The  National Executive Councils (NEC) of the NLC and TUC in their various meetings deeply analysed the current situation in the country, taking into cognisance, the extensive hardship and deprivation afflicting our citizens across all states of the federation and unanimously condemned the apparent conscious lethargy and tardiness in handling the consequences of its petrol price hike on Nigerians.”

    They, therefore, directed  “all affiliates and state councils” of the NLC and TUC to immediately begin mobilisation.

    The labour leaders advised Nigerians to use between now and October 2 as grace periods to stockpile their homes with foodstuffs to avoid hunger during the strike.

    But the OPSN, a body comprising five business membership organisations, said it was deeply concerned, if not anxious, over the looming disruption of socio-economic activities in the country.

    “The economic indicators are not good and simply put, the economy cannot afford a nationwide strike at this time,” said the OPSN in a statement.

    The OPSN members are the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), and Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI)…

    The statement was signed by the Director General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir on behalf of his colleagues in the other four groups.

    The OPSN  said in the statement made available to The Nation that it had keenly watched the back-and-forth consultations between the government on the one hand and the NLC and TUC on the other.

    “It is evident that the series of consultations have not yielded positive results and the latter has resolved, in one way or the other, to go ahead with the protest/strike.

    “We are worried that adequate consideration is not given to the dire situation of the economy and the devastating/disruptive impact that a nationwide strike will have on the country at this time,’ it added.

    The OPSN advised the government and labour to understand that the economy was being de-marketed and the livelihood of  Nigerians being diminished by these incessant bickerings.

    It said: “One is beginning to wonder if the wellbeing of more than 200 million Nigerians is being factored into their negotiations,” 

     “We will continue to implore the government to employ its best endeavours to reengage the leadership of the unions and find an amicable ground to avert the imminent disruption in business activities that will attend the protest and nationwide strike.

     “Adequate consideration should be given to the grim state of the economy and the possible unintended consequences of social unrest that may result from the protests.”

    “There should be some innovation around how the conversation between the government and labour will not always end up in holding the economy hostage.

    “The unintended consequence on the fortune of the average business and people of Nigeria is unwarranted and becoming too high.” 

    It called on the government to demonstrate good faith in keeping to its promises during the negotiations with labour and abstain from making promises they cannot or do not intend to keep.

    Speaker Abbas appealed to Labour not to aggravate an already bad situation in the country by going on strike.

    Acknowledging that workers had run out of patience, he called on them to give the National Assembly more time to engage the Executive on issues raised by them.

    He said “Our economic challenges remain as daunting as they were before the recess. The country is challenged on several economic fronts: the cost of living crisis occasioned by the high cost of energy, the cost of food is skyrocketing daily, lack of livable wages, the negative effects of the unpredictable and fluctuating foreign exchange rates, a disappearing middle class and a host of other issues.

    “When people are hungry and despondent, what is needed is a leadership with a clear vision, a leadership that on a daily basis, demonstrates its commitment and capacity to tackle the challenges at hand; a leadership that should be innovative in proffering short and long term solutions.

    “That is what Nigerians need at this time and as Representatives of the people, we must rise up to the occasion. As the people’s representatives, we feel and equally share in the pains of our people at these very difficult times.

    “However, I would like to appeal to the Nigerian Labour Congress to consider the various actions being taken by the Federal Government to alleviate the current hardship faced by Nigerians.”

     Also in Abuja,   Works Minister Dave Umahi advised  Labour to be reasonable in its demands. 

    He stated that instead of threatening a nationwide strike, Labour should devise constructive ways to work with the government to handle workers’ welfare.

    Umahi stated this while briefing officials of his ministry on his inspection tour of roads in the Southwest, Southeast,   Southsouth as well as parts of the Northcentral and  Northwest zones in Abuja. 

    He said: “Labour should be reasonable and go to the governors and find out about the distribution of palliatives.   I support that their(workers) salaries should be increased, but you have to understand that this is our country, a country we inherited where 90 per cent of the incomes of the government is being used to pay debts.

    “Should we not, as committed people of this country, work together with Mr. President to find a solution to a situation we have found ourselves in? We say we are going on strike.”

    “I hope that the people in the  Ministry of Works will not go on any strike because you have caused pain to the people of Nigeria. You have to stay with me for us to solve the problem.

    “If you go on strike, I will make some of you to be arrested. We will go on strike when we have solved the mess we created by not supervising the projects, and by jerking up the cost of projects.

     “ Civil Servants don’t come to work; the big men come anytime they want without excuse.” 

     *Why workers boycott  work from Oct. 3, by Ajaero, Osifo

     At the Abuja news conference, Ajaero justified the planned strike,  saying the government has totally abdicated its responsibility, refused to dialogue with workers, abandoned  Nigerians and blackmailed labour leaders.

    He  clarified that there was no “disagreement between Labour and government on the existence of massive suffering, impoverishment and hunger in the country as a result of the hike in the price of Petrol which demands an urgent need for remedial action.”

    The NLC president said: “ The government has totally abdicated its responsibility and has “shown gross unwillingness to act by abandoning Nigerian people and workers to excruciating poverty and affliction.

    “The government has continued to grandstand and forestall all avenues to peaceful dialogue with organised labour on ways to save Nigerians from the huge hunger and suffering experienced across the nation as a result of the unconscionable hike in the price of petrol (PMS) by the government.

    “The government has continued to demonstrate not just an unwillingness to mitigate the massive hardship in the country but also has shown a complete lack of intention to take positive steps and empathy for the multi-dimensionally impoverished citizens of Nigeria.

    “The government has therefore, not met in any substantial way, the demands of Nigerian workers and peoples as previously canvassed in our mutually agreed roadmap to salvaging the economy and protecting workers and Nigerians from the monumental hardship.

    “The grace period given by the two labour centres has expired.

    “Trade unions continue to face severe threats from the state via the brutal and suppressive power of the Police and Government. The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) continues to be illegally occupied by the government via the instrumentally of the Police who have cloned the leadership of NURTW. The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) continues to be illegally occupied by the Lagos State Government in total disregard to the courts and the statutes.

    “That the state within the life of the ultimatum via the Police has caused loss of lives and properties with untold injuries on Nigerian workers who were on their way to go back to their Union’s national headquarters in Abuja.

    “That the state has continued to blackmail and sponsor serious campaigns of calumny against trade union leaders in the social media using its buying and coercive powers instead of making efforts to lift the burden on the masses.”

    Reading the resolutions reached at the NEC meeting, Osifo said: “To, in the spirit of the Independence Day celebration and to demonstrate our resolve for a truly independent Nigeria to take our destinies in our own hands and rescue our nation.

    “To embark on an indefinite and total shutdown of the nation beginning on zero hours Tuesday, the 3rd day of October 2023.

    “To direct all workers in Nigeria to withdraw their services from their respective workplaces commencing from the 3rd of October.

    “To direct all affiliates and state councils to immediately start mobilising accordingly for action to organise street protests and rallies until the government responds positively to our demands.

    “To enjoin all patriotic Nigerians to join hands across the nation to assist this government put the people back at the centre of its policies and programmes.”

  • Labour loss

    Labour loss

    • Workers union should sheath its sword to allow government to settle down

    There is no doubt that the cost of living in this country has shot through the roof. It is also true that since the subsidy on premium motor spirit was removed on May 29 by the new government, things have become even more difficult for all citizens. However, strike as a weapon of negotiation with government should be sparingly applied in view of the fragility of the economy.

    Embarking too frequently on industrial action will do more harm to those whose interests Labour claims to be protecting. If employers in the private sector already at the borderline of survival find it difficult to keep the workforce, they may be forced to downsize. This would make everyone – government, employers, employees and the economy – the ultimate losers.

    We advise the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to tread carefully. Strikes are effective when sparingly used, not when it is perceived to have been instigated by partisan motivation. Many believe that the NLC, in particular, operates as an affiliate or the parent body of one of the opposition political parties. On many occasions, the said political party’s leaders had been invited for the Congress’s events. This was what fuelled speculation that the last warning strike of September 5 and 6 was timed to coincide with determination of the presidential election petition by the Court of Appeal panel. The NLC  has the burden of dispelling this speculation, if it was a mere coincidence.

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    There is a valid reason for Labour to be agitated as obtains in other countries, even in the developed world. But the interest of other Nigerians, including those in the informal sector, the artisans and the burdened small scale businesses, should be paramount if Labour is not to be considered as selfish. Governments at the federal and state levels have demonstrated that demands of people generally affected by the policies that have spurred inflation are being considered. Ministers who will drive the process and see to implementation of the policies, harmonising fiscal and monetary instruments, have been in office for barely two weeks.

    We call on the NLC leadership to ceasefire and allow the affected ministries and ministers settle down. The Federal Government has outlined policies to alleviate the suffering of the people. Beyond the food palliative, policies on food security meant to boost productivity have to be monitored and allowed to deliver on promise. Loans and grants to be advanced to nano, micro and small businesses all over the country are expected to be disbursed soon; this should interest the labour movement whose ranks would also be thus boosted. No society develops by focusing only on immediate needs, forgetting the medium and long terms.

    We all need Nigeria to become viable, strong, and assume its rightful place as the giant of Africa. Africa is waiting for us as the most populous and materially blessed country to play the role Japan and China played as blessings to Asia.

    Building Nigeria of our dream, and as envisioned by the founding fathers at Independence is a task for all. The new government should be given the benefit of the doubt rather than be stampede to take actions it may regret later. The NLC should take a cue from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that has behaved more maturely,  giving the federal and state governments time to demonstrate good faith. It should be obvious to all that importing 3,000 buses, converting vehicles from using petrol to compressed natural gas, as well as boosting productivity cannot be conjured or achieved by waving the magic wand. These are measures that would take some time to materialise. What we expect of Labour and government is to make the tripartite committee set up work without any party putting a gun to another’s head. Achievable timeliness should be outlined and keenly monitored by all, and reported to the public. To demonstrate good faith, NLC should lift the threat of indefinite strike.

    What this time calls for is cooperation. Adversarial tactics will do no one any good.

  • Labour market and the AI threat

    Sir: Elon Musk, a technology entrepreneur, investor and engineer, in his speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at the Aeronautics and Astronautics Departments Centennial Symposium in 2014 said, “If I were to guess our biggest existential threat, it’s probably artificial intelligence (AI). I am increasingly inclined to think regulatory oversight at the national and international level just to make sure we don’t do something very foolish. With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon”.

    According to Techopedia, artificial intelligence is an area of science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and reacts like humans. No matter how much it tries, artificial intelligence cannot replicate humans because it acts on programmed information and has no mind of its own. If it encounters an unfamiliar situation, it either breaks down or performs incorrectly as it has no sense of right and wrong neither does it possess original knowledge.

    In an Indian Tamil Language Science Fiction Film, Enthiran, Dr. Vassegara unveiled another latest invention Chitti, an android created in his own image. Everyone embraced and welcomed Chitti, not until a scene of fire outbreak and Chitti was sent to rescue a young girl from the fire. Chitti brought out the naked girl who was having her bath as at the time of the incidence without covering her with a cloth. Whilst the young girl was running out of shame, she got hit by a car and died on the spot.

    This unveils the disparity between nature and nurture. Though Chitti had been made in the image of Dr. Vaseegarand, he lacked the teachings, experiences and trainings that actually nurture and form a human. In a case such as this, whereby rather than preserving life, it claims a life, what greatest threat could there be towards human existence if not artificial intelligence?

    Artificial intelligence is designed mainly to execute tasks that only humans can perform. The aim of this is to see to the replacement of human power with machine power, thus, posing a threat to a sizeable amount of jobs worldwide. Numerous studies by the McKinsey Global Institute show that 50% of jobs in the United States are technically automatable by adapting currently demonstrated technologies. Artificial intelligence now performs industrial jobs such as manufacturing, bank telling, customer service and so on thereby leading to loss of jobs which orchestrates poverty and a high crime rate as people would do anything to survive.

    In 1997, IBM developed a computer that would defeat World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov. Though the machine did beat Gary Kasparov, but it’s quite disheartening that humans can no longer compete with humans as even the “world’s bests” are subjected to competition with machines which is somewhat degrading to the entirety of human existence. What then becomes our fate where manpower is replaced with machine power? Where human abilities are underestimated and subjected to competition with machines? Where originality and creativity would be lost and humans are disregarded? Where humans fight for supremacy with machines? Artificial intelligence has come to stay as one of the greatest threat to human existence.

    I fear for myself and my generation unborn in a world where I have to compete with robots and no fellow humans for attention from the opposite sex. This in itself poses a great danger to procreation and breeds irresponsibility in males, as they would prefer to be with robots to avoid family responsibilities rather than investing in human relationships which is equally essential in the labour market. In a situation such as this, where humans would not be able to “multiply and fill the earth” thereby posing as great threat to the continuity of human existence and healthy relationship, the essence of artificial intelligence becomes questionable.

    As humans, thoughtful and intelligent, it is logical to avoid whatever would do us more harm than good. Such is ‘ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE’. Let’s save the world.

     

    • Ekong Mary, University of Ibadan.