On That NLC’s Botched Strike

Rivers State NLC members at a rally during the strike action in Port Harcourt Photo: Ibioye Diama

Nigerian trade unions
seem to be organs of the state as their structures, policies and activities are fixed for them by the government. It is the primary function of trade unions to protect and improve the wages and working conditions of their members and as well the welfare of the citizenry, through collective action, whether by bargaining with the employers or government.
In fact, historically, one of the main reasons for the setting up of trade unions is for the workers to acquire a combined strength which would enable them to bargain more effectively with the employers or government. But when a trade union cannot unite and speak in one voice, it is undoubtedly bound to fail in its collective action.
The nationwide strike action called by a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) clearly exemplifies this.
The Ayuba Wabba faction of the NLC had called the strike to protest fuel price hike from N86.50 to N145 per litre and subsidy removal by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joe Ajaero-led faction of the NLC pulled out of the planned strike following meetings with the representatives of the Federal Government, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr Babachir David Lawal.
While Ajaero and his group opted for a committee to resolve the petrol price increase impasse, the TUC was not convinced and opted not to go for the strike. In most parts of the country, the strike flopped while in some, it witnessed partial compliance. In Delta State, the strike was brought to bear as government offices were under lock and keys. The NLC in that state said the strike was not directed against the state but against the Federal Government. The protesters, comprising all union leaders and members in the state, including NULGE, ASUU, NASU, ASUP trooped out as early as 7.00am on Thursday, rejecting both petrol price hike and new electricity tariff.
In defiance of the ruling of the National Industrial Court (NIC), the Comrade Ayuba Wabba-led faction of the NLC made good its promise by mobilising its members to a protest rally at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, demanding for the reversal of pump price of petrol from N145 per litre to N86.50. However, the strike was not effective in the nation’s capital as workers were seen at the Federal Secretariat Complex going about their normal businesses.
Also, banks, filling stations and other private offices across the city also opened for operations while there were no reports that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was shut down as promised by NLC.
In Enugu, Benue and Ebonyi States, there was partial compliance as almost all the state and federal offices in Enugu State opened for normal duties, thereby rendering compliance to the strike ineffectual. Public and private establishments in Jos, Plateau State, including banks, schools and media outfits were shut down due to the strike.
Although there was still some level of resistance in some establishments, the leadership of labour said it would stop at nothing towards ensuring full compliance.
Secretary of the NLC in Plateau State, Comrade Fancis Izam, told newsmen that the union was still united in the struggle despite the refusal by TUC and PENGASSON, among others to join. In Imo State, activities in University campuses, public schools and government offices were grounded to a halt, though the strike did not start with a bang. But as the day progressed, compliance increased and spread. It was not a total shut down as banks were still working and commercial vehicles were operating but the State Chairman of NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu warned that compliance would increase by the day.
In Rivers State, the strike did not succeed as most civil servants went about their normal duties. The workers resumed duty early morning Thursday in defiance of the action after the state government, a faction of the NLC and TUC instructed them to shun the strike. While some workers wanted to join labour and openly protest the new fuel price, they could not go about it based on the pressure from the state government, the NLC and the TUC.
The state government through the Head of Service, Barrister Rufus Godwins, invoked a ‘no work, no pay’ rule against any civil servant who joined in the strike. Godwins, after a meeting with Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments and Agencies in his office Thursday said the strike which was only called by a faction of the NLC, had nothing to do with the state government. He said that the state government had no issue with civil servants, stressing that joining the strike was not in the good interest of civil servants as the situation could frustrate the on-going biometric exercise for civil servants in the state. The Head of Service said the State Secretariat was open and miscreants would not be allowed to hijack the process of the strike to molest any civil servant carrying out his or her lawful duty.
A faction of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), Rivers State said no civil servant in the state would join in the strike. The Beatrice Itubo faction of the NLC had insisted that the strike must go on in Rivers State and instructed its supporters to monitor the strike in their various establishments to ensure compliance. Factional leader of the NLC in the state, Prince Ada William had restated that civil servants were not part of the strike, saying that normal business activities were going on both in the public and private sectors. “No office has been shut down in the state as erroneously claimed by the other faction”, he said, Civil servants turned out in their large numbers for work on Wednesday and Thursday until the strike was called off on Monday, May 23, 2016.
A cross-section of civil servants, who spoke in an interview described the strike as a flop and called on the NLC to put its house in order.
They noted that the congress could not be speaking from both sides of its mouth and expected people to comply with its confusing directives. Also speaking in an interview, the South-West Chairman of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers of Nigeria (NUPENG) Alhaji Tukunbo Korodo urged Nigerians to disregard the strike called by NLC and go about their normal businesses.
Korodo said that the strike was not in the best interest of the country, pointing out that what any union that stood for workers or the masses should be doing now was find ways of reaching agreements with government to make life better for workers and Nigerians. “Nigerians should disregard NLC strike and continue with their businesses because it is a failure. What the unions should do now is to meet with government and reach a compromise with them on how to increase workers’ take home pay”.
At the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, the Nigeria Police stopped members of the protesting NLC from gaining entrance into the airport. The protesters, however, caused massive gridlock at the airport road as they stationed their banners at the roundabout close to Arik Air headquarters, singing several solidarity songs while travelling air passengers had to treck to catch their scheduled flights. Earlier in the morning, an affiliate of NLC, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), had put all the agencies within the airport under lock and keys in preparation for the strike.
The strike had partial success in Kwara, Ogun and Oyo States while it was fully complied with in Ondo, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. In Adamawa State, workers defied the strike orders as the NLC leaders there insisted that there was no going back. Schools were open, public servants showed up for work at government offices, particularly Federal Secretariat, while normal businesses went on in banks, markets, schools, motor parks and filling stations. Many people who spoke on the near zero compliance, said there was no enough mobilisation and that people were not optimistic of good result from the strike action.
There was no strike in Kano and Bauchi states, while it witnessed poor turned out in Abia State. The House of Representatives broke the camel’s back when on Thursday, the first day of the strike, it formally endorsed the liberalisation of the petroleum sector and the hike in the price of fuel from N86.50 to N145 per litre, saying it was in the interest of the country. The Reps, therefore, urged the organised labour to continue to show understanding of the situation while dialoguing “in the interest of its teeming membership and Nigeria”. Similarly, the leadership of the Senate led by Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki that same day met with the NLC leadership, led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba where after he told newsmen that the window of dialogue was kept open towards quick and smooth resolution of the disagreement.
In Saraki’s words: “I am happy to report that the NLC has shown their commitment to continue to dialogue with the Federal Government and our role is to see that we can facilitate that. We shall continue with the dialogue and we will surely address the issue once and for all. I believe that we will all act in the interest of the people”.
Earlier, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba commended the Senate for their quick intervention and for inviting the labour union to get their own side of the issue. The NLC has, however, suspended the strike to continue negotiation with the government.

Shedie Okpara