National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has called on labour unions affiliated to Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to get united for a vibrant labour movement.
It made the call on the heels of the recently concluded May Day event against the backdrop of polarisation of the labour movement by the different factions of the NLC.
“The current assault on the workforce such as delayed payments of salaries, diversion of bail-out funds are made possible because comrades are not united in mass actions against bad employers and bad governors. It’s time we closed ranks to ensure we have “an NLC that commands the confidence of workers, be trusted by the public, respected by the government and employers,” read a statement from the union, signed by John Adaji, president, and Issa Aremu, general secretary.
The union wants NLC leaders at all levels to immediately implement the report of their Hassan Sunmonu-led reconciliation committee aimed at resolving the crisis arising from their last year’s delegates meeting.
To achieve this truce, the union demands that retired members of the NLC National Administrative Council (NAC) should automatically be replaced by the current National Executive Council of the NLC, withdrawal of all court cases arising from the 11th National Delegates Conference, appoint a general secretary of NLC based on stipulated criteria and speedily resolve problems confronting Nigerian workers.
It commended Adams Oshiomhole, Edo State governor, for increasing the national minimum wage of the state’s public service from N18,000 to N25,000. Ben Ayadi, Cross River State governor, also received praise for announcing the payment of May salaries of workers in the employment of the state government
“We commend both Governors of Edo and Cross River for breaking ranks with the gang of some insensitive greedy governors who assign little resources to labour as critical factor of development, but throw scarce resources to phoney projects by ghost contractors in the garb of infrastructural Development. With respect to Edo, Comrade governor has also shown that wage payment is not just a function of ability to pay but willingness to muster the ability to motivate the work force for productivity and development.”
Nigeria’s textile union berated the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari and some state governors who failed to honour labour’s invitation to be part of their rally. It urged President Buhari to emulate his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma who honoured the country’s May Day rally despite divisions in the Congress of South Africa Trade Unions (COSATU).
“We expect President Buhari to offer leadership in this regard. There is no reason whatsoever to justify the conspicuous absence of President Muhammadu Buhari at the maiden May Day rally a year after he assumed duty as President of Nigeria.
“We recall the participation of the President as the candidate of APC at the NLC 11th delegates conference last year. President Buhari should not give an impression that he only sees workers as voting cows. Workers are the source of national wealth that must be motivated, encouraged and dignified at all times, especially during May Day manifestations with presidential presence.”
The union also had stern words for governors who sent representatives, “Those who did not attend are absentee governors who have lost all moral authority to demand for discipline on the part of their workers after May-Day. As number one workers in their respective states, by boycotting the May Day manifestations and represented by proxies, these governors were not on duty to dignify their work-force, which is unacceptable.”
ISAAC ANYAOGU
