By VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
TUESDAY MAY 29, the nation celebrated 13 years of uninterrupted civil rule and as part of the activities marking the occasion, the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, brought together in Lagos, labour leaders, workers, civil society organizations and university lecturers brainstorm on “Strengthening Internal Union Democracy”

Participants included Comrade Issa Aremu, General Secretary of NUTGTWN and Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Oladele Hunsu, President of NUTGTWN, Comrade Bension Opia, Head of NLC Parliamentary Liaison Office, Comrade Rufus OLusesan, Vice President of the National Union of Shops and Distributive Employees, NUSDE and Chairman Campaign for Workers Democratic Rights, CWDR and Professor Funmi Adewumi, of Osun State University.

Speakers at the seminar were unanimous that in spite of the several shortcomings of the country’s democracy, it remained the best form of government for Nigeria and called on Nigerians not to undermine it.

According to Comrade Aremu, Nigerian workers had every reason to deepen and defend democracy because it had benefitted workers than any other form of government, recalling that workers and other Nigerians suffered untold hardships, pains, persecution, detention and even death to bring about the current democracy.

Aremu who is also a Vice President of NLC said “As a matter of fact, there is no group that can mark democracy better than the trade unions because we fought for the democracy. The second point why democracy is important to us as unions is that if you check our history, all the major gains that labour movement has made over the years, were made under the democratic system.

The first minimum wage we got in 1981, under President Shehu Shagari before then N125.00. If you know the exchange rate then, in fact Naira was even stronger than the Dollar. If you check it now, it is about 250 Dollars and if you multiply it today, that gives about N25.000 to N30,000 which means it is even higher than the so-called N18,000 new minimum wage.

We got that under a democratic government led by the first President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Hassan Sumonu. Before then NLC had been fighting for new minimum wage, both Muritala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo did not listen.

“Also, it was democratic Nigeria that first declared May Day as public holiday in 1981. It started with the government of the late Abubakar Rimi of Kano seconded by the defunct People Redemption Party, PRP, government under governor Balarabe Musa of Kaduna State and later followed the government of Alhaji Lateef Jakande of Lagos State.

It was under the democracy that opposition parties declared May Day as public holiday in their states, the federal government then had no choice than to also make it a national public holiday. Comrades, also check the review of the minimum wage that we have done.

We did the review of minimum wage in 1991 under Ibrahim Babaginda, but it was with tears. But the major review of minimum wage started in 2000 under a democracy. What the military government of Obasanjo could not do, the democratic government of Obasanjo had no choice than effect a review. Do not forget that we just review it in 2011.”

Military govt  undermined NLC

Continuing, NUTGTWN’s General Secretary, reminded his audience that no democratic government in Nigeria had ever dissolved the NLC.

He said “In spite of the struggles and torments that we gave governments under democracy, none of them has been able to dissolve the NLC, but military government dissolved the NLC. IBB in 1988 dissolved the National Executive Council of NLC under Comrade Ali Ciroma and that was why Comrade Ciroma did only one term. What was the crime of NLC?

The crime of NLC was that we protested against the increases in the pump prices of fuel. He appointed a sole administrator. Of course, we fought back and NLC was eventually reconstituted which led to the emergence of late Pascal Bafyau. Again, Bafyau did only one term because during his second term was the June 12 crisis. Again, the NEC of NLC was dissolved in 1994 under late General Sanni Abacha.”

“Comrades, you can see the issue of democracy to us because why one day protest against IBB made him go dissolve the NLC, eight days strike, 12 days strike against the democratic government of Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, nobody has been able to dissolve the NLC because we have a constitutional democracy in which you cannot do anything by fiat or decree, you have to pass through.”

Aremu added that “we cannot be talking about democracy in the country without talking about democracy in our union. Trade union is a product of democracy. NLC is older than Nigeria in terms of democratic traditions. Today, we are making the third republic.

NLC just did its 10th delegates conference, so we have a lot teach politicians about democracy. The only way we can able to make change or deepen democracy is that we must sustain our democratic tradition. I am happy that our entire branch chairman, treasurers, secretaries and all the other council members are product of democracy.”

Earlier, President of NUTGTWN, Comrade OLadele Hunsu, explained that seminar

Provided an opportunity to assess the nation’s democratic journey and to workers that they had the civic responsibility and the historic duty to participate actively in the political process.

He said “we have conceded the political space enough to charlatans, rogues and professional politicians who have done nothing to substantially improve the living condition of our people. But in doing that we reckon that we need to remind ourselves that the trade unions remain an important model of a democratic organisation and we need to defend that part of our history and use it as our launch-pad for our engagement in the polity.

Hence the theme of this one day conference is: strengthening internal union democracy.  Trade unions as we all know are founded on the principles of unity, independence and democracy.”