By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Daniel Idonor, Oscarline Onwuemenyi & Inalegwu Shaibu
LAGOS—THE three-day warning strike called by Organised Labour to compel the Federal Government to implement the N18,000 new minimum wage begins today even as Labour confirmed that it met with President Jonathan last night in a desperate  move by the Government to halt the nationwide strike that is expected to have far reaching effects on the economy.

This came even as the leadership of Labour and Civil Society Coalition, LASCO, said there would be mass rallies and street protests across the country as part of the strike.

Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that a monitoring team has been put in place by Organised Labour to monitor and ensure compliance.

Acting President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Promise Adewusi, told Vanguard that though Labour was not averse to meeting, he wondered what new thing the President had for Nigerian workers. Adewusi said: “ The only thing workers want to hear is that the Minimum Wage Bill is now in the National Assembly and with assurance that within one week, it will be signed into law.”

Comrade Adewusi who is also the President of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, noted:  “As I speak with you, nothing has changed. That is, the strike goes on tomorrow (today) as scheduled.

That is the mandate from the National Executive Council, NEC, of NLC. We told the Vice-President and members of the Presidential Technical Committee on the Minimum Wage which is made up of some State governors yesterday (Monday). Yes, the President has invited us for a meeting tomorrow (today). In Africa, it is disrespectful  not to honour an invitation from your leaders. We are not averse to meeting. We will attend the meeting. We will hear him out. I wonder what new thing he has to tell us?”

Critical sectors of the economy

Adewusi said the strike would be a total one which means that all critical sectors of the economy like the banks, oil, electricity, transport would be affected.

Vanguard gathered that the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, had also directed members nationwide to keep vehicles off the road in total compliance to strike directives.

Unions in these sectors had, Monday, directed members to fully comply with organised Labour directives and stay at home.

To ensure an effective strike, unions in the critical sectors of the economy had Monday directed workers to fully comply with the strike order. Such unions include the National Union of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions Employees, NUBIFIE and its Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI counterpart; National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and its Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, counterpart.

Vanguard gathered that National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, and its Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, SSAEAC, counterpart, yesterday directed all members to fully comply with the three-day industrial action.

While Vanguard gathered that NUPENG and PENGASSAN had already sent circulars to members directing to stay at home and fully comply with strike directives, President of ASSBIFI and General Secretary of NUBIFIE, Comrade Adeshina Sanni and Segun Ola respectively, told Vanguard that members had been put on notice to fully participate in the strike.

Comrade Sanni, said: “Our members have been put on notice to comply fully because a society where leaders do not respect agreement and are insensitive to the plight of ordinary workers, we do not have any other choice to take our destinies by our hands.”

For Comrade Ola: “As affiliate of NLC we are solidly behind the strike and have directed our members so.”
Also General Secretary of NUEE, Comrade Joe Ajaero said all the PHCN workers have been directed to fully comply with the strike. It is about the ordinary workers. It is about insensitive leadership of the country.”

Speaking on  modalities for strike, Secretary of LASCO, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, said there would be mass rallies and streets protest across the country.

He said that in Lagos, the rally would commence at 8.00 a.m. at the NLC, Yaba Sub-Secretariat, adding: “LASCO calls on Nigerians, workers, students, traders and so on to participate full in the rallies and street protests starting from NLC Yaba office, by 8.00 a.m. to kick-start the three-day warning strike.”

Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that NLC’s National Administrative Council, NAC, which is made of elected leaders of Congress, met in the late hours of yesterday to assess preparation for today’s strike.

Nothing can stop us – NLC

Officials of the organized labour who spoke to Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday, said nothing would stop the planned strike action starting today.

Nigeria Labour Congress spokesman, Mr. Onah Iduh said in a telephone chat: “As far as we are concerned, nothing is stopping the planned warning strike on Wednesday (today). We have put all modalities in place to ensure that the warning strike goes on and that governments at all levels understand that we are determined to see this through.”

He added, however, that an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of the NLC and other Labour groups in the country would take place on Tuesday evening (yesterday) to fine-tune strategies for the effective take-off of the three-day warning strike.

The Trade Union Congress, TUC, and the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, had called out their members for a three-day warning strike over the Federal Government’s reluctance to implement the newly approved National Minimum Wage.

According to a statement jointly signed by the General Secretary of TUC, Comrade John Kolawole and General Secretary of NLC, Mr. John Odah, in Abuja, the twin labour unions said they noted “with deep regret, the decision of the National Council of State to technically repudiate the National Minimum Wage Agreement.

It is amazing that in a country where the least paid councillor earns over N120, 000 monthly, the Council is of the opinion that N18,000 is too much for a worker with his spouse and four children to earn.”

The unions noted that the N18, 000 Minimum Wage was the outcome of the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage established by the Federal Government and inaugurated on  July 14,2009 by Secretary to the Federal Government.

The statement added: “It is worthy to note that the state governments were  represented  in  the Negotiating Committee and that the average minimum wage suggested by the 13 state governments that submitted memoranda was N22,500.

According to the TUC and NLC, “the path of honour lies in government respecting the spirit and letters of agreements it freely enters and that if the outcome of negotiations are not respected by government, it would be an invitation to anarchy.”

It noted that ordinarily, following the agreement which also included a draft bill, the procedure would have been for government to send the bill to the National Assembly to pass into law.

The unions noted, “Surprisingly, Government after six months is still foot dragging. Given the foregoing, and the setting up a ‘technical’ committee, the inevitable conclusion is that our political leaders in the Council are not advised on the plight of the common man and the urgency required in the implementation of a new minimum wage in the country.

“Therefore, the NLC and TUC reiterates their directives to all workers to embark on the three-day warning strike from Wednesday November 10 to Friday November 12, 2010. This is preparatory to the indefinite strike that will follow should Government refuse to implement the Minimum Wage Agreement.

“We also call on all persons of goodwill including leaders of thought, religious and community leaders to prevail on Government to respect the Minimum Wage agreement and prevent an overheating of the system.”

Senate begs Labour to shelve strike

The Senate, yesterday, pleaded with organised Labour to shelve the three-day warning strike. Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze, who made the plea  urged the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, to exercise more restraint on the issue and continue dialoguing with the Federal Government.

Senator Eze pleaded that government was willing to meet the demands set by Labour, but unfortunately, Nigeria’s economy at the moment cannot sustain any pay rise for workers.

He noted that Nigerians will be worse off if the strike  held, adding that solutions to the deadlock in negotiations can be reached without the impending industrial action by Labour.

Eze said: “I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Labour leaders that we have all seen the upheaval that will be cause by any Labour unrest at this point in time. You can see that the country is really at a very critical stage in its political development and I think that we should all put on our patriotic gab to ensure that we do not upset the apple cart.

“The Labour has a valid point, every labourer is entitled to his living wage. Nobody is contesting that but we have to balance that demand against the resources because we have seen that the government is having difficulty funding the 2010 appropriation and we have seen that the revenue profile is not reflecting the projections that were made by the government.

“In spite of that the government is prepared to go through the instrumentality of the Council of State to ensure that we agree on a figure and regime of wage that will put food on the table of our people. At the Senate we sympathise with the workers and we believe that they deserve whatever they are willing to get, but they should balance their demand against what the country can afford, because right now our economy is not in the best of shape.

“We sympathise with the workers, we appreciate their point of view, we plead with them that these are very difficult times. We can leave the matter and go to the round table. The government has been up and doing.

Stakeholders meeting, governors, vice president, everything has been put in to make sure we engage the workers. Let us exercise patience, let us exhaust all the dialogues because at the end of the day, it will end around the table.