NLC threatens to shut down Nigeria after Nov 6

The Nigeria Labour Congress has asked Nigerians to stock up on
food as it will soon shut down the entire country.

The NLC said this in a communiqué issued at the end of an
emergency meeting of its National Executive Council in Abuja on
Tuesday.

In the communiqué signed by the President of the NLC, Ayuba
Wabba, and its General Secretary, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, the union
directed all affiliate unions, state councils, civil society
allies, the informal sector and other friends of workers and lovers
of democracy to commence immediate mobilisation of their
members.

The NLC lambasted the government for its ‘no work, no pay’
policy, adding that what should have been implemented was ‘no pay,
no work’.

The statement added, “The NEC advised Nigerians to start
stocking up food and other necessities of life as workers will
ensure a total shut down of the country.

“The NEC-in-session similarly condemned the government for its
design/plan to clamp down on labour via selective and erroneous
invocation of the ‘no work, no pay” clause in the Trade Disputes
Act, noting that the right to strike is both a human and trade
union right and cannot be abridged as it is what distinguishes a
worker from a slave.”

The NLC maintained that the national minimum wage must be
N30,000 even as it accused the Minister of Labour and Employment,
Dr Chris Ngige, of insincerity.

It also kicked against the fixing of tenure for workers holding
union executive positions in contravention of the provisions of ILO
Convention 87.

The union added, “The prohibition or exclusion of non-card
carrying members of trade unions from leading or being part of
negotiation delegations of trade unions reminiscent of the Abacha
military era.”

It also resolved to organise a national day of mobilisation and
sensitisation rallies for all workers to show their outrage and
mourning in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT on October
30,2018.

“The day will also be used to educate and sensitise Nigerians to
the horrendous plight of workers and pensioners, the insensitivity
and duplicity of the government on labour issues, and to protest
the proposed obnoxious policies of government against organised
labour,” the NLC said.

The union asked workers to disregard the ‘no work, no pay’
policy even as it restated its resolve to embark on a strike if the
national minimum wage is not reviewed upward by November 6.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has said it will not attempt
to oppress or suppress the organised labour.

The Labour Minister, Ngige, said this while addressing a
delegation of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity led by
the Deputy Secretary-General, Valetine Udeh, on a courtesy visit to
his office in Abuja.

A statement on Wednesday quoted Ngige as saying, “The Federal
Government of Nigeria does not believe in curbing the activities of
the organised labour because Section 40 of our constitution allows
for freedom of association to form trade unions with people of like
minds.

“It is the same law that gave birth to the formation of
political parties that also empowered the formation of labour
unions hence President Muhammadu Buhari will never tamper with the
activities of the unions.”

Speaking further, Ngige explained that the Federal Government
was committed to working in synergy with the two active labour
centres in Nigeria who are also dynamic members of OATUU with many
affiliate unions.