By Ayo Ademiluyi
Quite recently, the Ayuba-Wabba-led faction of
the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held its inaugural National Executive
Committee meeting on 6th August, 2015. In published advertorials in
widely-read Nigerian newspapers, the Wabba-led NLC NEC communicated resolutions
reached at the meeting (see Guardian Newspaper, Friday, 14th August,
2015).
On
the failure of some state governments to pay the salaries of their workers, the
NEC absolved the Federal Government of blame and ascribed the failure to
“mismanagement and wrong prioritization” by the State Governors. It resolved to
“mobilise
industrial union Presidents and General Secretaries to all the states owing
three or more months in salaries, to ensure that indebted states are compelled
to pay workers their legitimate earnings”. This is nothing but running away
from mobilizing a properly-organised national mass action of workers both in
affected states and nationally against these culpable Governors. It is equally
a grand attempt to embark on piecemeal actions at the face of an iceberg!
On
minimum wage, the Wabba-led NEC observed that the Minimum Wage Act 2011 has
reached its statutory five-year mark for review and it mandated its national
leadership to propose a new minimum wage to the Federal Government for
negotiation by the tripartite constituents of government, employers and
organized labour. It would be recalled that the Joe-Ajaero-led NLC has already
proposed a N90,000 new minimum wage, but it has not advanced a clear strategy
on how it intend to fight for it.
The
Wabba-led NLC NEC also resolved for a “National Day of Action against
Corruption and for Good Governance” and mandated its national leadership to
mobilise for it as a “one-day national protest march” which will be
“simultaneously across the country”. It
also stated that the aim of the national protest march is to “draw attention of …(the) political
leadership at all levels that ….we as a country….cannot put up with the recklessness
of our political elite”. While it is appreciated that the workers’ movement
return to the tradition of mass struggle, the perspective and strategy behind
the upcoming national protest march is
also bereft of a comprehensive understanding of the fact that corruption is
embedded in the overall capitalist system and that it is only when workers
struggle collectively to overthrow capitalism that corruption can be ended.
Socialists would participate in such a “national protest march” and challenge the
labour leaders to call a 24-hour nationwide warning strike on unpaid salaries,
massive looting and for a new national minimum wage.
On
the political side, the Wabba-led NEC resolved to revitalize the Labour Party.
However, the fact that the planned “holistic revitalization and revival of the
party” is based on the recent acquisition of the original certificate of the
party from the former National Chairman of the Labour Party, Dan Iwuanyanwu
also begs the question of how the “revitalization” can be achieved. It would be
recalled that the Wabba-led NEC has given the said Original Ceritificate to the
SalisuMuhammed-led Caretaker Committee, which was set up by the out-gone
Abdulwaheed Omar’s leadership.
An
overview of these resolutions raises important issues on the current state of
the workers’ movement vis-a-vis the character of the current crop of labour
leaders, especially under the current Buhari regime. Genuine socialists and
working class activists need to engage these issues in the overall interests of the working
class movement.
UNPAID SALARIESAND WORSENING IMPACT OF
DISUNITY OF THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
Nothing
exposes the nonchalant attitude of the current crop of labour leaders to the
welfare of their rank-and-file than the spate of unpaid salaries that is
ravaging workers in different states. While the Wabba-led faction, at first,
which commands a large chunk of the public-sector trade unions ordered the
state congresses in the respective states where the Governors were defaulting
to undertake strikes on their own, it failed to provide a lead for a nationwide
strike action that could have brought the full weight of the labour movement to
bear on the issue.
The
failure of a coherent nationwide mass mobilization against the defaulting
Governors was also as a result of the negative impact of the disunity within
the trade union movement based on the ego-tripping factionalisation of the workers’ movement by the labour
leaders. The factionalisation, in itself is another sad tale of the state of
the workers’ movement in Nigeria, with shambolic labour leaders, who are not
prepared to genuinely defend the interests of their rank-and-file members.
Recently,
it was reported in the mass media that the issue of the unpaid salaries led to
fresh attempts to find a united voice between the Joe-Ajaero and Wabba-led
factions. It was even reported that as a result of the unification moves
initiated by the labour veterans, there are plans to hold Joint National
Executive Committees and Central Working Committees to plan joint actions. It
remains another issue how far these efforts have yielded fruits, given the
numerous attempts to unify the two factions after the crisis-ridden 11th
National Delegates’ Conference, held earlier in February, 2015.
However,
it is clear that genuine socialists and working class activists must redouble
the efforts to build cells of working class cadres within the rank-and-file of
the workers’ movement with rounded-out revolutionary perspectives that can
fight to reclaim the trade union movement as a united mass working class
organization with a democratically-controlled and genuine leadership that can
fight for the genuine interests of the working class people.
It
is equally important, despite the prevarications of the leaderships of both
factions of the Nigeria Labour Congress to build pressure from below with the
call for a 24-hour nationwide strike action as the urgent and immediate step to
force the defaulting Governors to pay their workers in their respective states.
Such a one-day warning strike would serve an initial notice on the defaulting
Governors that the entire labour movement would not take the struggle lightly.
WHAT GENUINE STRATEGY TO FIGHT FOR A NEW
NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE?
Another
crucial issue is the growing demand for a new national minimum wage. Given that
the five-year period for the N18,000 minimum wage is due for renewal, it is
also clear that the growing inflation rate has made the minimum wage a
mincemeat. While the Joe Ajaero-led
faction has demanded a new N90,000 minimum wage, the Wabba-led faction has been
mandated by its NEC to draw a proposal for a negotiation of a new national
minimum wage for submission on the Federal Government.
What
is missing from the statements and declarations of both factions is a clear and
coherent strategy to fight for a new national minimum wage. The current N18,000
minimum wage has not been implemented by most state governments without any
resistance mobilised by the labour leaders.
The
current approach to the demand a new national minimum wage also shrinks of the
lethargic approach of the labour leaders to waging a serious struggle on
minimum wage. A genuine struggle for a
new national minimum wage would have to be devoid of illusions that the Federal
and State Government would agree or implement it by law but by mass actions
with the concurrent demand that no single worker should be retrenched by virtue
of the new national minimum wage.
STRUGGLE FOR THE CONTROL OF LABOUR PARTY
AND THE QUEST FOR A GENUINE WORKING PEOPLE’S POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE
One
other interesting development is the ongoing struggle for the control of the
Labour Party between the Wabba-led faction and the Labour Party leadership. The
NEC of the Wabba-led faction resolved to position the party to “articulate and
advance working class perspectives on
the wider political and economic situation in the country”. This is pursuant to
the receipt of the original certificate of registration of the party by the
Wabba-led faction from Dan Iwuanyanwu, the former National Chairman of the
party, which it has handed over to the SalisuMuhammed-led Caretaker Committee
on Labour Party, instituted by the Omar leadership.
However,
the Labour Party leadership, inaugurated at the last National Convention of the
party has gone to town vowing to resist the takeover of the party by the
Wabba-led NLC faction. It has correctly stated that it the
democratically-elected leadership by the membership of the party and equally
the leadership that is properly recognised by the Independent National
Electoral Commission. It also hinted that it will take out contempt proceedings
against the Wabba-led NLC faction based on the fact that there is an ongoing
court matter against the Salisu Muhammed faction and the Nigeria Labour Congress
in particular.
Based
on Nigerian electoral law that recognizes individual membership of political
parties and does not accommodate affiliate membership, it remains a puzzle how
far the Wabba-led faction can go in achieving its aim. Equally, the failure of
the labour leaders to take up their allotted seats on the National Executive
Committee of the party and mobilise their members into the Labour Party after
registering the party deprive them of any serious base within the party that
can constitute a numerical challenge in the National Convention of the party,
which elected the present national leadership of the Labour Party. Added to
this is the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission recognizes
the present Labour Party leadership as such having observed the National Convention which
elected the current leadership in accordance with law.
Without
holding brief for the Labour Party leadership, the astounding reality is that
the Wabba-led faction is on a wild goose chase with its professed control of
the party with the possession of the original certificate of registration of
the party. In the given circumstances, where the Labour Party leadership
presses its arguments before the court of law, the Wabba-led faction may find
itself in a situation to either engage in an out-of-court settlement with the
Labour Party leadership or surrender the original certificate of registration.
The
most important issue to be drawn from the entire scenario is the reality of the
challenge of building a genuine working people’s political alternative within
the broader trade union movement. It is completely another tale of the current state of the Labour Party
and the character of the approach of the labour leaders towards it.
A
genuine approach to build a genuine working people’s political alternative
would entail a conscious mobilization of the rank-and-file of the workers’
movement on a clear programme to build a democratically-run political movement
funded by the million of workers and not the millionaire looters that will bid
for power on a socialist programme. The combustive events of the coming period
would place this boldly on the agenda. While the opportunities to reclaim the
Labour Party as such a genuine working class political movement is quite narrow,
genuine socialists would keep up the campaign for such a genuine working
people’s political alternative.
The
Socialist Party of Nigeria, initiated by the Democratic Socialist Movement and
other working class forces, when eventually registered by the Independent
National Electoral Commission, would serve as a “striking example” within the
broader trade union movement of the genuine approach in building a wider
genuine working people’s political
alternative. It will espouse a clear socialist programme and run working class
candidates in elections without ties to big business and the bourgeois
political elite. Those elected on the platform of SPN will earn
working class wages, all elected and appointed members will live in the
communities. Genuine socialists, while battling for the registration of the
Labour Party would continue the campaign for a genuine working people’s
political alternative.
