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NLC Needs To Change From Old Fashion Combative Unionism

Workers DayThank God that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), one of the two general labour unions in Nigeria, has suspended its lone-ranging nation-wide strike after barely four days of what turned out to be protest marches in some states by a few of its members and jobless people.
To be sure, the Ayuba Wabba’s faction of the troubled NLC had called the nation’s workers to rise against Muhammadu Buhari’s government, and bring down the already tottering economy because of the fuel price increase, which government was forced by economic realities to impose on the nation.
In suspending the strike on Sunday, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC said that the protest action was informed by the twin issues of the unjustified and illegal hike in electricity tariff and increase in the pump price of petroleum products. It adjudged the protest action to be a success in spite of both internal and external challenges.
“INEC reiterated the correctness of its position on the twin-issues of electricity tariff hike and astronomical increase in the pump price of PMS and the hardship they portend for Nigerian masses.”
NLC said that before it embarked on strike action, it had anticipated a probable outcome and therefore was not surprised by government’s negative response even as he beat its chest it felt fulfilled by having the presence of mind and courage to identify its mission and fulfilling it.
The labour union argued that the strike action was taken in the best interest of the poor and the weak and was able to draw government’s attention to the dangers of relying on importation of petroleum products as a sustainable strategy for making available petroleum products.
“Congress will resume negotiations with government on the twin issues of the hike in electricity tariff and an increase in the pump price of petroleum products and any other issue that may arise thereof.
“It similarly remains committed to genuine dialogue within the framework of internationally established and recognized principles of representation.”
Ironically, in calling out the nation’s workers to down-tools the NLC obviously took the last point it raised – dialogue – for granted. It is on record that the leadership of the NLC stormed out of a meeting which the government officials was holding with stakeholders shortly b efore the strike began. Meaning that the NLC did not exhaust the principle of dialogue but preferred to show its muscle.
Secondly, the NLC went ahead to call workers to go on strike at the time even more vital stakeholders such as PENGASSAN and NUPENG that are insiders as far as oil business is concerned, agreed with the government position on removal of fuel subsidy and subsequent increase in fuel price. Even its sister union – Trade Union Congress (TUC), like PENGASSA and NUPENG listened attentively and with open mind to the government, after which they also agreed with the government position.
And by calling on workers to go on strike at the time the nation’s economy is in trouble, the Wabba led NLC had simply displayed what can be described as sadistic behavioural trait.
How a long drawn strike would have led to the fulfilment of the NLC desire? And what is such desire, especially in a situation where the NLC did not offer its own advice on how to get out of the difficulty the nation was thrown into by many years of mismanagement?
The issue of increasing minimum wage for the workers and other demands by the NLC were not new and had never in the past solved the financial challenges of ordinary workers in the country.

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So also the issue of using intimidation and combative approach has never in the past bended any government to the wishes of labour unions.

It is on this basis that the NLC and other combative labour unions should learn to attune themselves to modern day negotiating technique, by listening more, contributing more to the ways of finding solution to any problem and being practical, other than resorting to old-school: strike that is likely to create more difficulty for the common man on the street than the people such strike is meant to hurt. [myad]

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