Organised labour canvasses socio economic justice at work places as workers symposium ends in Lagos

By Ifeanyi Eduzor
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have charged all employers of labour both at the formal and informal sectors to put a stop to social economic injustice meted out to workers in the country even as they called for the immediate re-negotiation of the country’s minimum wage in order to cushion the effects of rising inflation and economic hardship expected to follow the planned total subsidy removal later in the year.
They made the call during a one day symposium they organised ahead of the May/ Workers Day celebration coming up next week Monday.
Speaking on the theme’ Workers Rights and Socio Economic Justice, former General Secretary of National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees ( NUBIFE) Comrade Chris Onakpo noted that it is shameful that Nigerian Government over the years has not deemed it fit to implement International Labour Organisation ( ILO) law on decent work describing it as condemnable.
” It’s quite sad that after more than 60 years as an independent nation, no Nigerian Government has deemed it fit to implement ILO laws on decent work.
“The law states that nobody whether in the public or private sector should be forced to do any type of job against his/ her wish and that workers should have the right to negotiate their condition of service,
“There should also be no discrimination against employees because of their gender, colour or physical disability which also includes paying men higher wages than their female counterparts, limiting the age for employment as well as discouraging child labour such as hawking, menial jobs and other similar jobs which the organisation describes as social injustice.
He was also of the opinion that there must be economic justice for workers which will involve equitable sharing of the country’s Commonwealth irrespective of the persons status and avoid a situation where elected government officials after serving for a period of two tenures will allocate to themselves bogus pensions while workers who put in more than 35 years in service are left with little or nothing as their pension and gratuity.
Onakpo a one time Assistant Secretary General of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies( SSASCGOC) regretted that various Nigerian Governments never honoured all the agreement it entered with Labour Unions on minimum wage describing the present minimum wage as no longer fashionable considering the economic realities of the present time just as he advocated a re-negotiation of the minimum wage before the total removal of petroleum subsidy later in the year
” Nigerian workers have suffered so many economic injustice from Government and the earlier those injustices are corrected, the better for the country
” I want to tell you that since 1981 when late Pa Michael Imodu negotiated a salary increase for workers with the Shehu Shagari administration which then put the minimum wage at N125 then when naira was stronger than the US Dollars, there have been series of negotiations for salary increase between the government and organised labour but Government has never been sincere in all these negotiations.
” There is supposed to be increase in workers salaries after every five years depending on the economic realities on ground but this has never been done and I want to say that the right time to re-negotiate the minimum wage is now because of the inflation and planned final removal of petroleum subsidy which will have it’s economic effect on the Nigerian citizens”, he stressed.
Onakpo took time to explain all the minimum wages that have been negotiated in the past and concluded that with the present exchange rate and inflation, Nigerian workers were earning better salaries 2O years ago than they do presently.
He advised that when the unions are negotiating for any further increase in salary, they must consider the rate of inflation and exchange rate.
In his own presentation at the event, the General Secretary of National Association of Air Transport Employees ( NUATE) Comrade Aba Ocheme advocated labour leaders thinking outside the box towards ensuring that rights of workers are adequately protected.
He was also of the opinion that various labour union organisations should do to their employees what they seek for themselves because their employees also require socio economic justice.
“When we as labour leaders are talking about our welfare, it’s equally important we consider the secretarial staff working with us. There is need for us to take care of those working for us as we demand to be taken care of by our employers because they too need socio economic justice.
Ocheme lamented the attitude of employers who only count their loses when there is industrial crisis and blame it on the unions but they fail to realize that what workers are fighting for is also to mitigate against their own losses.
” It’s not only employees that record losses during industrial action because there are losses that accrue to workers when tending issues are not resolved especially when people get salaries that cannot do much for them; it becomes a big loss to the individual or when they want their salaries paid on time and salaries increased based on the economic reality on ground. So there is need for both the employers and employees to work together in harmony for the organisation to grow economically.
In their separate remarks Chair person of Nigeria Labour Congress, Lagos State chapter Agnes Sissi and her Trade Union Congress counterpart, Gbenga Ekundayo while commending the resource persons for a job well done noted that the symposium came at the right time especially when the government is thinking about total removal of subsidy and the recent economic hardship as well the security challenges facing the nation.
They were unanimous in appealing to employers in both formal and informal sectors to do away with practices that impede on workers rights and ensure socio economic justice in work places