THE recent history of industrial relations in Imo State (and more generally across Nigeria) suggests that the trade unions should reconsider their strategy. As in many states, in Imo State, the trade unions face a vicious governor who thinks he is above and beyond the law.
The dominant approach to industrial relations is that strikes should only be implemented as a measure of last resort. Under this approach, the aim of trade union leaders should be to sit down and negotiate with the bosses and seek an agreement which is based on give and take and a compromise between the two sides. The assumption is that both sides will then implement their mutual agreement.
Our experience in recent years shows that this assumption is not valid. Almost all strikes in Nigeria in recent years have been to try and seek implementation of previous agreements signed with trade unions. This was the case, for example, with the 8-month ASUU strike in the universities in 2022. This sought the implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement that was signed at the end of its last strike in December 2020.
In these circumstances, we need a different strategy, we have to frighten the governors or federal government into actually implementing at least some of our key demands before strikes are called off. The active strike in Kaduna in May 2021 shows that even the most powerful governors can be defeated, but the pressure has to continue if we are to sustain our gains.
The chairperson of the NLC in Abia State, Pascal Nweke, said to reporters on 8th May, 2023 that the workers would only resume negotiations with the government whenever they begin to receive their salaries. We need to adopt this approach and refuse to discuss ending strikes until the workers have received bank alerts for the agreed payments from the government.
The Imo State NLC chairperson, Austine Chilakpu, was removed in January 2021, and a fake executive was established by the governor. The fake chair said that the past administration was dissolved for constantly waging war against the Imo State Government. The new state executive immediately reported to the governor at State House. Austine Chilakpu had been elected in 2015 and was re-elected for four years in 2019. The NLC had called an 8-day warning strike in December 2020 over non-payment of salaries and pensions and non-implementation of the minimum wage. However, Austine Chilakpu was then appointed as the governor’s Special Adviser on Labour Matters on 23 March, 2023. This shows that governors are prepared to use inducements as well as threats in their attempts to restrain the trade unions.
On 7th March, the Imo State NLC Delegates Conference was attacked by thugs. In his May Day speech, Joe Ajaero later said this was “because the workers resisted attempts by the state government to impose its stooges on them who it believed will continue to collude with it to continue inflicting pains and reign of terror on public servants in the state.”
Imo State NLC called a general strike the day after the attack on their conference. The electricity was cut off, flights to the airport were stopped and NUPENG fuel drivers did not work. The NLC chairperson, George Ofoegbu, said that: “Ministries, Agencies and Departments have closed offices. Colleges of Education, Universities and Polytechnics led by National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, and others have fully complied.”
“Experience in Nigeria over the last decade suggests that in most instances, governments do not implement agreements that they signed with trade unions. The recent experience in Imo State confirms this and shows that governors will go to almost any length to undermine the trade unions. We need more active strikes with greater democratic control by the rank and file members of the trade unions. We also need to ensure that more general meetings of trade union members are held to make key decisions at each stage of their strikes, especially if a strike is to be suspended. If strikes are simply controlled by individuals in the state or nationally it is too easy for governments to put pressure on these individuals or even settle them.”
As well as the attack on the NLC State delegate conference, the strike was over arrears of salaries and pensions. Thousands of existing workers and pensioners had been declared as ghosts and so have not been paid for at least 20 months. In its press release of 13th March, the NLC stated:
“For the avoidance of doubt, we restate below some of the atrocities of the state government against its own workers. They are:
“1. 20 months Salary arrears owed to some workers stigmatised as ghost workers
“2. Declaration of about 11,000 workers in the state as ghost workers even while they were physically at work and diversion of their salaries.
“3. Intimidation and Harassment of Trade Union leaders; a witch hunt carried out in different guises
“4. Continued use of thugs and instrument of violence against workers in the state as was furthered in the terror of yesterday.
“5. Impoundment and illegal diversion of Union dues in the state
“6. Declaration of about 10,000 pensioners as ghost Pensioners and refusing to pay them for over 22 Months leading to the death of many.”
Despite this, the strike was suspended after only a week for ‘two weeks’ on 15th March due to appeals from “highly respected and well-meaning Nigerians” and for the national elections to hold unhindered.
Unfortunately, as is usually the case, the governor took this strike suspension as a green light to continue with his anti-trade union activities. The governor demanded that all workers attended a fake May Day rally organised by his clone of a state executive of NLC & TUC. The official NLC/TUC May Day rally was also attacked by thugs.
As a result, the NLC/TUC started a comprehensive shutdown of Imo State from 3rd May, but the strike was then suspended four days later. The strike was suspended after the following agreement was signed with the State on 7th May:
Only time will tell whether this agreement will actually be implemented by Imo State Government, but past experiences suggest that it will not be actioned. The agreement only requires a committee to be established “to look into areas of disagreement and or misunderstanding between the government and labour and resolve same.” No timelines are provided and there is no guarantee that the workers and pensioners will actually be paid their arrears.
“Despite all states having plenty of money (their oil money receipts last year were higher than for any year for the last decade) they would rather spend this money on capital contracts (that give them their percentage) rather than paying workers and pensioners their due monies. As a result, active strikes have to be maintained until the key aspects of workers’ demands have actually been implemented. We need a change of approach to ensure that workers and pensioners are adequately paid rather than seeing the continuing decline in the real value of the minimum wage we have suffered over the last two decades and more.”
The previous experience of Imo State Government and the background of the governor suggest that he cannot be trusted to implement this agreement. The Supreme Court declared the current governor, Hope Uzodimma, winner of the 2019 elections for the APC after initially coming fourth. He previously moved from the PDP in 2018 after being a two-term senator in the state. Gubernatorial elections are due again in November 2023.
Experience in Nigeria over the last decade suggests that in most instances, governments do not implement agreements that they signed with trade unions. The recent experience in Imo State confirms this and shows that governors will go to almost any length to undermine the trade unions. We need more active strikes with greater democratic control by the rank and file members of the trade unions. We also need to ensure that more general meetings of trade union members are held to make key decisions at each stage of their strikes, especially if a strike is to be suspended. If strikes are simply controlled by individuals in the state or nationally it is too easy for governments to put pressure on these individuals or even settle them.
Salary and pension arrears are widespread problem in Nigeria. The strikes in Imo State should have been part of a much wider strategy by the NLC and the TUC to ensure that workers and pensioners in all states are paid as and when due.
Despite all states having plenty of money (their oil money receipts last year were higher than for any year for the last decade) they would rather spend this money on capital contracts (that give them their percentage) rather than paying workers and pensioners their due monies. As a result, active strikes have to be maintained until the key aspects of workers’ demands have actually been implemented. We need a change of approach to ensure that workers and pensioners are adequately paid rather than seeing the continuing decline in the real value of the minimum wage we have suffered over the last two decades and more.
Comrade Batubo, a member of Socialist Labour, writes from Abuja. He can be contacted via WhatsApp on: 0916 693 3998.
