South African President, Jacob Zuma, has abandoned a May Day rally after he was booed by workers demanding his resignation.
Scuffles also broke between Mr. Zuma’s supporters and opponents, resulting in all speeches being cancelled, the BBC reports.
The main labour federation, COSATU called on Mr. Zuma to step down last month after he sacked his widely respected finance minister.
The President has vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2019S
Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has congratulated the leadership and members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state on the commemoration of 2017 Workers’ Day.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers, North Central District, Kafanchan has urged the government to rebuild Southern Kaduna from the ruins of the crisis that bedeviled the area recently.
Governor El-Rufai commended workers for their doggedness and dedication to the development and unity of Kaduna State.
In a statement by his spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, El-Rufai congratulated with the leadership of the NLC and its affiliates in Kaduna State on the commemoration of 2017 Workers’ Day.
According to him, “we will continue to support with our workforce towards development and peace of our state. The workers in all sectors are making a great contribution to the progress of our state.
“The Government appreciates the support of the workers since 2015. The successful launch of the Kaduna State Public Service Revitalization and Renewal Project owes much to the support and cooperation of our work force.
“The Kaduna State Government is determined to restore the public service as the facilitator of good governance. Every government relies on the public service for its governance agenda, and its success in realizing its programmes depends on the quality and commitment of the service.
“The provision of public goods is one key way of appreciating the sacrifices of workers. Improving access to education and healthcare are priorities for this government. Already, we have increased enrolment in public primary schools from 1.1million to 2.1million. The state is about to launch a contributory health insurance scheme, and a bill to this effect is being considered by the state House of Assembly”, he said.
However, the chairman of the railway workers union, Comrade Emmanuel Henry Moses who spoke during a seminar in Kafanchan on Monday as part of activities marking the 2017 Workers Day celebration.
Comrade Moses regretted that the Union lost colleagues, family members including officials of the Union, describing the ugly trend as having far reaching effects on the safety of lives and property of workers.
The chairman also urged authorities of the NRC, to review salaries of workers in view of the present economic realities, provide working materials, renovate dilapidated residential quarters, workshops and offices as well as make available a locomotive to run train services among others.
The Unionist, however, noted with satisfaction over the cordial working relationship between the workers and Management of the North Central District and appealed for sustenance of the good spirit in the overall interest of the Corporation.
In a message, Railway District Manager, (RDM) Kafanchan, Mr. Frank Ajoku who was represented by the Human Resource Officer of the District, Mrs. Talita Saws, commended the workers for their perseverance and resilience in rendering selfless service to humanity.
Mr Ajoku also solicited the cooperation of the workers to take the Corporation to the next level of development and cautioned the workers to be truthful in their agitations when the need arises to consolidate on the already existing harmonious relationship.
The absence of the Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello at the Workers Day parade Monday in Minna has been attributed to the fear of being berated by the workers of the state over his reluctance to cancel the Contributory Pension Scheme in the state.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), Comrade Yahaya Videos Ndako who disclosed this during the Workers Day Celebration at the 1,2,3 Parade Ground in Minna stated that the Organized Union in the state are calling for the total cancellation of the Contributory Pension Scheme and would not accept its implementation.
Addressing the representative of the Governor, the Secretary of State Government, Hon. Ibrahim Isah Ladan and workers of Niger state, the Chairman said that the new Bill sent by the Governor to the House of Assembly seeking to amend the law establishing the contributory pension is unacceptable adding that Labor will no longer allow its retirees to be subjected to untold hardship.
Ndako stated that this latest action of the government is capable of flaring up the anger of both serving and retired workers to an unimaginable proportion whose consequences may be unhealthy to the state.
“We are Nigerlites, we voted for the government in power and we need to enjoy our rights. This new Bill is vehemently rejected by the Organized Labor in Niger state. We are saying this gently so that when we start reacting, it would not be said that hope have started.
“We will fight our cause based on the law of the land. I can say categorically that the Governor and I spoke after a programme in Radio Niger and I told him about our rejection of the new Bill. I am sure that that is what prevented Me. Governor from coming to the parade today.”
Ndako who insisted that they had no problem with the state Governor neither are they enemies of the Governor pointing out that there are sycophants in the Governor’s cabinet who take delight in causing chaos in some sectors in the state.
The NLC Chairman then called on Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to carry out reshufflement of his cabinet due to its numbers of sycophants and unproductive members stating that, “the earlier he reshuffles his cabinet, the better for him.”
He then advised the state government to dedicate the allocation of N200 million from the N400million monthly Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) and set up a Board of Trustee to that effect for its effective and efficient management.
In his speech read by the Secretary of the State Government, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said that his administration is not unaware of the skepticism and apprehension of the civil servants in the state hence the welfare of worker would be given the required priority.
Ladan stated that the state government will continued to pay its 10.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent of workers in to the Contributory Pension Scheme adding that the Governor believe in dialogue in resolving matters.
However, the workers did not allow him to finish as they interrupted him saying it was unacceptable, shouts of “no no no go and seat down” “we will not accept it” filled the air.
But the SSG continued his speech saying that the state government has paid over N2.6 billion outstanding Pension and gratuities of workers assuring the workers that the payment would continue but in batches.
A mild drama and confusion ensued at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Monday as workers disallowed the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mrs Biola Bawa, from standing in for the minister, Dr Chris Ngige.
Ngige had declined to address the workers in his capacity as the minister and sent the permanent secretary because he (Ngige) represented President Muhhammadu Buhari at the occasion.
But the workers chorused “no, no, no’’ to the move and thereafter continue to chant, “minimum wage, minimum wage.’’
The incident disrupted the May Day celebration for more than five minutes.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that as the workers surged toward the podium to protest the move, Ngige and top officials of the labour union had to step in to calm them.
The crowd thereafter shouted “we don win, we don win’’ as the permanent secretary stepped down from the podium and walked into state box.
NAN also reports that following the incident, many of the workers staged a walk out from the square without taking part in the usual march past.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has reiterated the commitment of the National Assembly to passing a new minimum wage bill.
In a statement to mark the 2017 Workers’ Day, Dogara said the parliament had resolved to enact new minimum wage bill for Nigerian workers.
The speaker said that increasing workers’ salary had become necessary in view of the current inflation, naira devaluation and rising cost of living in the country.
He added that “I wish to congratulate the entire Nigerian workers as they join their counterparts all over the world in commemorating the International Workers’ Day.
“While commending you for your sacrifice and commitment to the service and building of the nation, I wish to assure you that the National Assembly and in particular, the 8th House of Representatives remains committed to the passage of the National Minimum Wage Bill when presented by the Executive.
“We are committed to initiating other laws and legislative interventions that will promote the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerian Workers.”
The Reps helmsman, however, enjoined the country’s labour force to rededicate themselves to duty and support government’s laudable policies and programmes.
Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, stayed away from this year’s Worker’s Day celebrations following the crisis rocking the state chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress.
The Nation gathered that the governor’s absence was informed by alleged threat by a factional chairman of NLC in the state, Comrade Willie Akporeha, to allegedly import thugs to disrupt the event.
According to a source close to the governor, the state director of State Security Service intimated the governor about the security threat posed by the factional chairman as he had concluded plans to bring in thugs from the East to cause mayhem during the rally.
The Nation gathered that this may have informed the heavy presence of security operatives at strategic locations in the state capital and around the St Patrick’s College venue of the rally.
Uduaghan was represented by his Special adviser on Labour Relations, Comrade Mike Okeme.
The governor congratulated the workers, saying the outgoing administration is not owing workers, a statement that attracted displeasure as the crowd booed him.
He said the administration would pay all the local government workers before the hand-over date.
The Chairman of the state NLC, Comrade David Ofoeyeno, in his speech, enumerated the challenges of workers across the state, appealing to the governor to find lasting solutions to the problems in order to sustain industrial harmony.
Ofoeyeno listed the issues to include challenges of pensioners in the state, challenges of local government employees, shortage of nurses in state hospitals and slow pace of work at the construction of permanent secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), among others.
“We strongly appeal to the governor to expedite action on the building of the Delta NUJ Press Centre as promised by his administration. We are worried that progress of work on the laudable project has been slated and urge the governor to release funds for the early completion, as a befitting gift to journalists in the state,” he said.
“People will appreciate unionism when unions become active.” –Thomas Mattig.
Time was when International Workers Day held significant meaning for all Nigerian workers.
On the first of May every year, Nigerian workers join their comrades around the globe in body, soul and spirit to celebrate heroes of the workers/labour movement who risked their lives for enhanced welfare and conducive working environment.
May DAY as the International Worker’s Day is popularly known in Nigeria, was chosen by the Second International (1889-1916), to commemorate the Hay market incident on the fourth of May 1886 in Chicago.
In one of the peaceful demonstrations held across America by workers to demand an eight hour work day, Chicago police killed some demonstrators. At yet another rally organised to protest police killings and brutality, a bomb was thrown into the rally and some policemen were killed. Subsequently, eight organisers of the rallies were charged to courts, in spite of the evidence which showed that the labour leaders were nowhere near Chicago at the time of the dastardly act. They were convicted of culpable homicide, four to be hanged; and one was to later die in prison.
Labour unions have sprung up in every sector and subsector of the Nigeria economy. However, for the better part of the last two decades, Nigerian workers have consistently been at the receiving end of job loss especially in the oil and gas sector, compared to their counterparts in other oil producing nations, due to multifaceted factors internally and externally.
There is a decline in the quality of visionary and pragmatic labour leadership, to partner government or employers and to set realistic agendas for strategic position of the workforce. A perfect example can be drawn from labours’ inability and political will to get the four national refineries working. As local petroleum consumption is import-driven, jobs are created for foreign refineries while Nigeria’s rot away and workers face job losses in their thousands.
These are not the best of times for Nigerian workers because they have failed to address fundamental or policy issues far too long that things have degenerated with government being allowed to renege on many agreements to fix the economy without sanctions.
Industrial actions are going to be very risky in the face faltering oil revenues which typically sustains the economy, with the fact that the populace have gotten lethargic of incessant strike actions which resolves nothing at the end of the day.
Meanwhile, there will be a much more vicious demand for increased pay by union members in the face of harsh economic realities and dwindling power of the naira. Employers are changing the way they work as well. Whereas Nigerian jobs are not being out-sourced, there however now exists, a mass of casual and contract workers whose working conditions excludes the typical employee benefits such as medical insurance, paid leave etc
There are discordant voices within the Nigeria labour fraternity today, things are falling apart and the centre can no longer hold. The vultures seems to be having a field day as unions and labour centres engage in one show of shame after the other to the dismay of an already cynical public that has long wondered whether the labour movement contributes anything positive to their lives.
Unionism used to be the bastion of robust debate, intellectual stimulation and cross fertilisation of ideas. However, what many celebrated as the capitulation of the dynamic campus unions, feeder system, is more than any other, the reason for the dearth of qualitative labour leadership outside the Ivory Towers experience.
The narrative has changed as a labour metamorphosis into an embodiment of charlatans because emerging leaders have jettisoned basic courtesies of human interaction. Unionism is now a farce.
Contemporary labour leaders do not appreciate the efforts and time-honoured culture of workers emancipation. Court orders are disregarded at will; corruption and criminality are the order of the day, a united front and national interest has been replaced by divisiveness and narrow group interest, the constitution takes a back burner or at most used to protect a few. Blackmail has replaced intellectual duels where superior arguments, logic should take pre-eminence. It is unfortunate and regrettable that people with clear intellectual challenges are the helms of some union. As sophisticated as union leadership is, the worst of us seem to be lording over the best brains in the unions.
Suddenly, elections are held twice or more because there is no more trust within the fold, all kinds of gimmicks alien to labour movements are deployed including accreditation of none members as delegates to elections. Some leaders now orchestrate the sack of members seen as future stumbling blocks to a political calculation or aspiration. Not a few people are surprise that there is a union in the Banking industry, and members especially Nigerian daughters, sisters and mothers are being compelled to indulged in uncomplimentary acts to keep their jobs in the face of the sword of targets in a stagnant economy. Honour, agreement, discipline and other characteristics celebrated in the days of Pa Imoudu, Pa Sumonu and a host of others is gradually exiting from the union.
We cannot afford to keep what one Minister termed “Limousine Comrades” in place. Leaders who seek their own interest but pretend to be fighting for the masses. There should be better and enlightened leadership at the helm of our unions.
Our democracy and economy are exposed today because the watch dog has lost its bark and bite, leaving night marauders to have a field day. The ills of this era cannot be wished away if there is no paradigm shift in the way we elect our leaders. Members of the various unions must as a matter of urgency organise themselves to remove the tyrants of the day. There is a prize to be paid to put an end to impunity and corruption. The constitution should be given its place of reverence on all issues, injustice of any kind must not be allowed even if it’s being meted out to an enemy. Just as the pen is mightier than the sword; a great sword, deserves a great warrior. Nature abhors vacuum, if organised labour fails to give the masses leadership, untrained hands will take the centre stage.
Today’s International Workers’ Day commemoration does not call for celebration, but sober reflection over the prostrate and internal damage the movement has been inflicted.
How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land? Psalm 137:4
Gambo is the convener of Good governance group and the former Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria PENGASSAN
It was supposed to be a happy day for workers. But the May Day celebration was a sad one for members of the Medical and Health Workers Employees (MHWE) in Bayelsa State.
Without pretence, the workers wore sad faces while conducting their march past on Thursday at Peace Park, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Their moods spoke volume of their bottled up anger as they neither marched nor danced to celebrate the day.
Like mourners, they walked slowly refusing to salute the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd), who mounted the stage on behalf of his boss, Mr. Seriake Dickson.
The state Secretary of MHWE, Mr. Letan Nwibani, said the union had lost over 30 workers within a year following a decision of the government to withdraw the allowances of health workers.
He said the union had attended many funerals of its members cut in their primes because of the government’s action, adding that some of the victims had yet to be buried.
He said, “One of the reasons why we are gloomy is that between last year and this year, we have lost over 30 of our members. And there is so much sadness within the health workers’ ranks owing to unilateral withdrawal of health workers’ allowances.”
While claiming that the governor did not authorise the withdrawal, he explained that the union got wind of the plan last year and issued an ultimatum to protest it.
According to him, Dickson ordered a committee to meet with the aggrieved workers for negotiation.
But he said: “While we were talking, the government went ahead to deprive people of their benefits. This is not the normal principle of collective bargain.
“Once, we begin talks, it is expected that the parties maintain the status quo until we arrive at an agreement. These removals have so affected our members that most of them could no longer meet up with their financial obligations.”
Nwibani said some persons’ salaries were reduced to N120, 000 from N300, 000 monthly.
He said the development rendered some persons homeless and incapable of fulfilling their obligations to banks and their families.
Ebonyi State Governor, Martin Elechi, on Thursday called on all workers in the state to be more security conscious in their daily activities.
He made the call in his address during the 2014 May Day Celebrations at the Abakaliki Township Stadium.
The governor said the call is expedient now that “the menace of terror coupled with its increasing diversity and sophistication makes it incumbent on all citizens to be alert at all times.”
Elechi, however, noted that “like every other manifestation of evil, I am convinced that terrorism is a passing phase in our national life and by the grace of God, our nation shall overcome it.”
In its own address, the organized labour in the state condemned in strong terms the spate of killings, abduction and destruction of property by the Boko Haram sect, mostly in the north eastern part of the country.
In a joint address by the chairmen of NLC and TUC in the state, Comrades Joseph Nweke and Elias Oduma, the unions lamented that the victims of last month’s Nyanya bomb blast which claimed about 80 lives were workers, who had come to board buses to their respective offices.
Harping on the theme of the celebration, “Building Peace and Unity: Panacea for Sustainable National Development,” the labour leaders urged all stakeholders in the Nigeria project to as a matter of urgency show greater commitment towards building enduring peace and unity in the country.
‘If you think by hanging us you can stamp out the Labour Movement the movement from which the down-trodden millions the millions who toil in want and misery, expect salvation. If this is your opinion, then hang us, Here you will tread upon a spark, but here and there, behind you and in front of you, and everywhere, flames blaze up. It is a subterranean fire that you cannot put out with all the seeming invincible powers at your disposal’.- Augustus Spiof, leader of the Labour Movement charged for the killing of policemen at Hay Market protest and one of four convicted for murder and hung…
As workers all over the world celebrate international workers’ day for this year, there could be no time more auspicious for us to reminisce and reflect on how we have fared so far in the historic social struggle for those who produce the wealth of nations and individual capitalist to also have a clear voice in how the sharing of the pudding goes. This necessarily reminds us of Karl Max declaration of ‘generational struggle of classes, whereby one class tends to dominate and juxtapose itself with another class. It is also a stark reminder of the working class consciousness of the class nature in production, distribution and domestication of wealth amongst wealthy nations and individuals. This awareness clearly strikes at the very chord of labour solidarity and why a veritable trade union organization must not only symbolize its bias for proletariat class struggle but must at all times reflect its ideology of socialist’ restructuring of society and its means of economic production.
In appreciating the intrinsic dynamics, we trace the advent of organized labour movement to the efforts of certain workers in Canada and United States of America (USA) who held peaceful strikes and rallies to demand an eight hour work day and other improvements in their working conditions. Barely two days after commencement of the rallies. Chicago Police killed several demonstrators at a clash between workers and scabs hired by the capital owners against the protesting workers in that city. A rally that was subsequently held in Hay Market square to protest the killing was forcibly interrupted by the police, a bomb was thrown and several policemen were killed while dozens in the crowd were injured.
It is instructive that though none of the eight Labour leaders arraigned after the unfortunate Hay market incident threw bombs, the eight leaders of the Chicago workers’ movement were convicted of culpable homicide and while four were to be hanged, one died In prison custody while three were given life imprisonment, but were later amnestied and given freedom. It was in commemoration of these gallant leaders of the first notable organized labour movement and struggle of all workers for better conditions in history, that May 1 was declared an eight-hour holiday in 1889, by the International Workers’ Congress in Paris. May 1 is also celebrated as the traditional European Spring holiday of May Day, thus making it a national public holiday in more than 80 countries, but only in some of those countries is the public holiday officially known as Labour Day or some similar variant. In the other countries, the public holiday marks the spring festival of May Day.
By laterally adopting the first Monday of September of every year as Workers’ Day, the gamut of bourgeoisie and entire ruling class in America tried to downplay the event of Hay market and thus in 1894, it was established as a federal holiday by US President Grover Cleveland to support the Labour Day that the Knights and American Cowboys favoured. And in 1955, the Catholic Church dedicated May 1 to Saint Joseph, the worker Saint, who for the Church, is the patron Saint of workers and craftsmen, thus underlining the symbiosis between society, the church and the state (government and its apparatus).
Just as May 1 was chosen as the date for International Workers’ Day by the Socialists and Communists of the Second International to commemorate the Hay market affair in Chicago that occurred on May 4, 1886, the date was first declared by the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) Government of Kano State in 1980 under Governor Balarabe Musa and became a national holiday in Nigeria on May 1, 1981.
This year, the theme for the International Workers’ Day has been tagged, ‘All People Matter’ to underscore the commonality in our humanity while Joint Action Front, a coalition between Civil Society and Labour in Nigeria has declared it a national Day of protest against commercialization of Education in Lagos State and elsewhere in Nigeria where education is being priced out of the reach of the ordinary Nigerians whom the governments still find it difficult to pay eighteen thousand minimum wage and a declaration against kidnapping of girl-child by insurgents and government’s lackadaisical approach to many national concerns.
The role of organised labour in the emergence of Nigeria as a Nation-state cannot be over emphasised, from the days of the railway workers under Pa Imoudu. In contemporary Nigeria history cum democracy, the names of Comrades Frank Kokori, Ayodele Akele, Comrade (Senator) Uche Chukwumeraje , Senator Femi Kila, Venerable Folorunso Oginni, Babatunde Ogun, Adegboyega Otunuga, Sowore and Malcolm Fabiyi of NANS to mention but a few.
However today, inspite of the multifacet sacrifices to enthrone a “government of the people, for the people and by the people’, – Democracy, leaders of organised labour are being held to a large extent responsible for the arrested development the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Thabo Mbeki a former president of South Africa was widely quoted.
As workers, first and foremost, and as members of the international solidarity of Labour Movement, the occasion calls for serious reflection on our struggles to make ends’ meet and evolve a workable Model for nation building. This would require a collective resolve to discard our opportunistic past by appreciating the fact of the class struggle that necessitated the May Day in the first instance, This, without doubt, is a struggle for survival and betterment of the Working class, the same class that not only produces the wealth, but serves as a major pedestal for building the Empire the Capitalists call their nation and their own world. It is only a revival of this consciousness that could lead to a responsible Labour leadership that refuses to trade the workers’ workplace interest and cognate collective interest away.
This becomes vital when viewed against the backdrop of dangers and deficiencies suffered by an average Nigerian worker in an environment devoid of social security arrangement, lack of basic social infrastructure and responsible leadership that accounts for performance as a correlation between the national economy and people’s real living standard. Only within this mix shall we justify the optimismfor the triumph of labour over capital as expressed by the about-to-be-hanged Labour leader cited at the start of this piece.
Gambo is the PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER of PENGASSAN