- Labour, CSOs Set For Mother Of Protest
THE Nigeria Labour Congress has described Monday’s national broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “out of touch with reality and anomalous with the hardship and suffering that most Nigerians are going through now.”
A press statement signed by Comrade Joe Ajaero, NLC President, asserted that the promises and assurances made by the president in his broadcast “is not the silver bullet that Nigerians expected.”
Comrade Ajaero said: “First, the opening statement by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conveyed a commitment to a better and productive economy. We expected that the next line of statement would be how the present government plans to resuscitate our public refineries which have been lying comatose for so many years and is the major pain point in the whole subsidy narrative. Unfortunately, the entire speech by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was completely silent on the issue of the repair of our national refineries.
“Second, consistent with our perception of the misalignment of Mr. President’s promises and offerings to the reality faced by millions of workers and ordinary Nigerians was the failure of President Tinubu to unmask those behind the looting of Nigeria’s commonwealth under the guise of petrol subsidy. It is unacceptable for the President and Commander-in-Chief to lament like ordinary Nigerians about a group that Mr. President routinely referred to in his speech as the “elites of the elites” who have stolen so much from Nigeria that they have become so powerful as to constitute a threat to democratic governance. What Nigerians expected from Mr. President is a firm commitment to bring these economic saboteurs to justice and recover what they have stolen.
“Third, Mr. President’s statement on working with Organised Labour to review the national minimum wage is out of sync with what has played out since President Tinubu removed the so-called petrol subsidy. In all the meetings scheduled by the government, Organised Labour has been forced to negotiate with empty chairs on the Federal Government’s side as the Federal Government has not matched its public promises with firm commitment to negotiate in good faith with labour. As a matter of fact, the sub-committee on wage award has not been inaugurated and has not met.”
Tinubu not living up to standard he set for others workers wage
Ajaero added that it is disturbing for organised labour that while the president “lavishly praised the Private Sector for quickly dispensing wage award to their employees, the Federal Government has failed to do the same for public workers in its employment.”
Ajaero described the government’s disposition as “a clear case of failing woefully to live up to the standards it has set for others to meet” as he lampoons the government’s palliative interventions as mere promises which Nigerians have become used to.
Ajaero further stated: “Fourth, the claims of interventions by the Federal Government through palliatives, loans and conditional grants to poor Nigerians, big manufacturing concerns and small businesses and provision of CNG buses remain what they are – promises! Nigerians are used to such promises which have never produced any verifiable and meaningful changes in the lives of citizens.
“Fifth, for many Nigerians, it is incomprehensible that the principal actors in the current government including Mr. President himself were clear in 2012 on the need to tackle the fundamental issues that brought about petrol subsidy. Those issues included the failure of previous governments to repair our national refineries and bring those behind the monumental subsidy sleaze to book.
“Today, these issues were swept under the carpet in President Tinubu’s speech. Nigerians wonder “what has changed?”
Strike, protest to commence Wednesday
Comrade Ajaero assured workers and Nigerians that the NLC is committed to embarking on a nationwide strike starting on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, even as it also remains committed to engage in discussions with the government.
“Finally, we wish to assure Nigerians that the Nigeria Labour Congress remains committed to matching discussions with government with the current realities of sufferings that Nigerians are going through. Until we see real commitment by government to do the needful to improve the lot of Nigerians and ameliorate the sufferings workers and ordinary Nigerians are going through, we remain committed to continue with our struggle,” Ajaero stated.
CSOs massively back strike, protest
Meanwhile, civil society allies of organised labour have come out in their numbers to express strong support for the impending strike and protest.
In a solidarity statement, Socialist Labour, a pro-labour organisation, said it is in full support of the struggle by the NLC, since the Tinubu government has chosen to fully implement IMF and World Bank policies.
In the statement signed from its National Secretary, Comrade Biodun Olamosu, Socialist Labour said the neoliberal policies translated to increased poverty.
“The Tinubu government has resolved to fully implement the neoliberal policies of the IMF and World Bank. This means a massive growth of poverty for us and further enrichment for the corrupt elite.
“We all need to be actively organising for on-going daily protests and a national general strike from Wednesday morning. A resolute and active strike will quickly overturn the policies of the Federal Government. The Government is not strong, it quickly backed down on its proposals for N8,000 monthly ‘palliatives’.
“For this to happen we all need to be active in preparing for the protests and strike action now. We all need to be contacting the officials of our trade union branches. We need to find out what they are organising and to demand more action from our state and national trade unions,” Socialist Labour argued.
According to the organisation, “a general strike with daily protests and massively supported by the popular classes can quickly frighten the government and ensure that it reverses its anti-people policies. We can win a reversal of the recent prices of petrol, a decent minimum wage that is increased each year in line with inflation and an end to exorbitant tuition fees. Our activity and organising over the next few days can make an historic difference.”
Similarly, another group, Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM), in a press statement on Tuesday urged Nigerians to support the general strike and mass resistance so as to end anti-poor policies of the Tinubu government.
While saluting the NLC for “taking the courageous step to advance the struggle beyond fruitless meetings and dialogue with the Federal Government (FG), RSM called on the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to also join the nationwide strike since the government has proven that its ‘consultation’ was a farce, and therefore leaving no option other than a general strike and mass protests as the only necessary steps to take.
The statement, signed by Comrade Salako Kayode, RSM’s Publicity Secretary, said since the emergence of President Tinubu on May 29th, 2023, “the situation for the Nigerian masses has worsened significantly. Hyperinflation is inflicting damage to the lives of working people every day. Meanwhile, the ruling class and their political appointees are enjoying extravagant perks, funded by taxpayers’ money.
“President Tinubu’s implementation of anti-poor policies has further plunged the country into chaos. The removal of subsidy on PMS resulted in an increase in the pump price from 195 to 540 and a subsequent rise to N617 per litre. If left unchecked, PMS prices will continue to soar.”
RSM also called on organised labour to resist any attempt “to deceive the unions with court orders,” noting that the “government has abused the dialogue process by unilaterally increasing fuel prices while discussions with labour representatives were ongoing.”
RSM further stated: “This decision aligns with the instructions and recommendations of imperialists like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The capitalist politicians’ pursuit of “more profit” fuels anti-poor policies, perpetuating poverty among the majority while enriching themselves. The increase in fuel pump prices has made transportation difficult for ordinary people and has left many small businesses relying on PMS struggling. Some have even lost their sources of income due to this policy.
“Nigeria’s dependence on buying refined petroleum products at international market prices, along with additional costs like refining abroad, freight, insurance, transportation, taxes, and demurrage, further inflate the price per liter. The devaluation of the Naira further enhances this process. To address this, we must fight against corruption in subsidy payment, refurbish existing refineries, and build new ones. The Dangote refinery, being profit-driven, will not solve the problem as it will sell at international market prices. In the long run, we must move away from fossil fuels and invest on the prospect of renewables, built in a way to serve the interests of ordinary working people and not the energy lobby.
“The unions must also warn the FG against any attempt to increase electricity tariffs. The privatization of the power sector in 2013 has led to erratic power supply and increased costs for Nigerians. The unions must demand complete renationalization of the power and energy sectors under the democratic control and management of the working people.
“Moving forward, union leaders must prepare to build strike committees across the country and call on all working people to participate to make the strike actions effective. The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) need to enforce the strike by stopping all transport movement on the days of the strike. The Maritime and Air worker’s union must ensure total compliance to send a clear message to the Federal Government to reverse all anti-people policies. The unions should seek support from Nigeria Medical Doctors and halt all activities in hospitals during the strike. On the day of the strike everything must stop working! This is the only way to push the government and the capitalists, who will both suffer huge losses.”
Another labour support organisation, Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) also expressed similar support for the strike in a statement on Monday.
In its statement signed by Comrade Rufus Olusesan, National Chairperson and Comrade Chinedu Bosah, National Publicity Secretary, CDWR said:
“It is high-time mass actions including a general strike began to respond to the barrage of attacks on the living standards of already pauperized Nigerian workers and the poor masses. By virtue of the removal of petrol subsidy, hike in school fees, hike in taxation, devaluation of Naira, consolidation of privileges and emolument of political office holders, the Tinubu-led government and the capitalist ruling elite have declared war on workers and the poor masses.
“These attacks have further brought untold hardship to the people. A lot of people trek long distances to often because of higher transport fares; people cannot feed adequately because of soaring food prices, many small and medium-scale businesses are dying because of rising cost of production and poor purchasing power etc. It is an irony for the Tinubu-led government and its apologists to tell workers and the poor masses to bear the hardship while the rich oil marketers and political officeholders smile to the banks and continue in opulence and insane privileges. Nigeria is too rich in human and material resources to become a country with one of the highest numbers of poor people; the problem however is the massive exploitation and looting by a few capitalist class in connivance with IMF, World Bank and the multinational companies.
“It is a clear error on the part of the NLC and Trade Union (TUC) leadership to enter into a palliative discussion after the government had unleashed a series of attacks on living standards. CDWR calls on the NLC leadership to stop investing hope in any palliative programme of the government. Aside from the fact that the government is not sincere in providing any viable palliative, there is no palliative programme from a government that is hell-bent on robbing workers/poor to pay the rich which can undo the hardship imposed on the people. The N8000 to be paid to 12 million families has shown how unserious this government can be; aside from the fact that a chunk of the ‘palliative money’ could be looted by representatives of the government, the palliative is like a drop of water in an ocean of crises. Hence, we call on the NLC and TUC leadership to withdraw from all talks with the government until all anti-poor policies are reversed. Labour should demand the revitalization of the nation’s 4 refineries, build new ones as a means of ending senseless dependence on the importation of petroleum products and dependence on greedy private profiteers and place the oil and gas sector under the democratic control of the working class. Labour should also demand the reversal of privatization of the electricity sector and other neo-liberal policies, and payment of living wage to workers.
“Besides, if the presidency inaugurates the steering committee as demanded by NLC leadership, it is not enough to suspend or call off planned mass actions, as doing so will allow itself susceptible to be fooled again by the government.
“We call on the NLC leadership to take these planned mass actions seriously and to consolidate them with a 48-hours warning general strike afterwards should government refuse to reverse all the anti-poor policies. Labour should not allow itself to be enslaved by court orders from the bourgeois court that closes its eyes when hardship is imposed on workers and poor masses but comes alive when the people choose to resist. We call on the TUC leadership to join forces with the NLC and other pro-labour organizations in mobilizing for sustainable resistance. Labour should also lead a principled ideological struggle against capitalist policies by putting forward socialist alternatives as the only way to sustain a resistance struggle and liberate the working class and poor masses from the shackles of exploitation and poverty.
“CDWR demands the reversal of petrol and school fee hikes. We almost demand an end to the devaluation of the Naira and a planned electricity tariff hike. We also demand the payment of N200,000 to Nigerian workers and to be increased with the rate of inflation amongst other pro-working class policies.”
