THE primary teachers in Niger State were on strike for most of the first three months of this year. They were supported by a strike of all state and local government workers from early March. We congratulate the workers of Niger State for this action, but unfortunately, it was not enough. The strikes were eventually suspended three weeks later without major gains having been achieved.
The strike was over the payment of percentage salaries, the failure to pay pension gratuities for several years and the failure of the state to make other payroll related payments. The teachers and the workers in different local governments were only paid percentage salaries over the second half of 2021. The four main demands of the strikes were:
- Payment of pension gratuities for state and local government workers (including teachers) which had not been paid since February 2020;
- Payment of 30% salaries from June 2020 to state workers;
- Payment of third party deductions including subscriptions to trade unions;
- Payment of arrears of salaries to local government workers – they had been paid different amounts in the different local governments for months.
It is not as if Niger State does not have enough money. The State has plenty of money to pay its workers properly, it is just choosing not to do the needful. State revenues are increasing each year and the state is spending massive amounts on capital – nearly two thirds of the budget for 2022 is dedicated to capital projects.
In contrast, less than half of its spending is on salaries and pensions for its workers.
Despite this the combined strike by the NLC and the TUC across the state was not able to win any significant concessions from the state:
- Pension gratuities – the State has committed to pay N200 millions from arrears of N20 billion (so only one per cent) for those workers who were on GL 1-6.
- June 2020 state salaries – the arrears for all State workers have been paid
- Third party payments – the State has committed to pay N200m and then to pay N100m a month in future. It is not clear how long this will take to pay the full arears.
- Local government salaries – the State promised to pay the February salary in full (but it was not paid until after the strike was called off). There is no clear undertaking on when the other salary arrears will be paid.
We can only hope that Niger State Government delivers by the end of May, the deadline given by the trade unions. But the lessons from other states and especially the Federal Government is that governments never keep their promises.
For example, we currently have national strikes by ASUU and the research institutes, purely due to the government not fulfilling their previous promises. Niger State has stolen billions from its workers and has now only promised to repay a few million. Is this really acceptable? The State politicians need to be taught a harsh lesson that they will remember.
It would be good to know why the strike was suspended in late March and not after checking that the March salaries had been paid properly the following week.
We need high profiles strikes with clear support from the national level, as was the case in Kaduna in May 2021.
Large daily protests were organised and the mass of workers were actively involved in the strike. After only three days the governor was frightened. Entitlements were quickly paid to tens of thousands of teachers retrenched several years earlier and there have been no more retrenchments since the strike.
In Niger State, in contrast, the mass of workers were not actively involved in the strike. One of the strike alerts merely said: “Workers are enjoined to stay at home and pray”. This strategy did not work in Niger State. It had previously failed in Cross River and other states.
We need unity and solidarity for strikes to be victorious. The working peoples of Nigeria desperately need this to happen for them and their families to survive. After the success of Kaduna, the NLC should then have moved on to address similar issues in other states. The governors need to be frightened to ensure that they pay their workers and pensioners properly, as and when due.
Biodun Olamosu, National Secretary, Socialist Labour
https://socialistlabour.com.ng
