How far can Buhari go with Labour?

Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, x-rays the challenge of Labour unions and how the in-coming government of Muhammadu Buhari will relate with the comrades.  

 

When some opposition parties came together about two years ago to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), the slogan they attached to the new mega party was simply ‘change’. The word reverberated across the country. And it was no surprise that during the electioneering that threw up Muhammadu Buhari as the president-elect, the campaign mantra of the party was still ‘change’.

 

Workers on Labour Day

In all its political rallies across the country, the APC insisted on ‘change’; it promised a change that would impact positively on the lives of all Nigerians.

 

Buhari, at different force a, has not hidden his feelings, particularly in the three most pertinent issues of serious challenge: security, the state of the economy and corruption, which he insists must be tackled all at once before the country can achieve any meaningful progress.

 

While wooing the Nigerian workers during his campaign tours, Buhari promised to implement labour-friendly laws, if elected.

 

And now that he is Aso Rock Villa-bound, the question on the lips of workers is how far he will be committed to their cause beyond election rhetoric.

 

As usual, there are high expectations from Nigerian workers.

 

It is obvious that Nigeria is facing grievous challenges in numerous sectors, including the labour market.

 

Addressing delegates at the 11th quadrennial conference of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja, before he won the election, Buhari said he would ensure the workers were given their pride of place, promising to resuscitate industries, create jobs for youth and women, as well as work for the overall welfare of the Nigerian worker.

 

“As most of you know, I am not a novice when it comes to participating in the struggle to deliver Nigeria from the powers of darkness. Many times, my efforts have earned me the wrath and vengeance of crooks and thieves. What I want to assure everyone in this room and across the length and breadth of this vast country is that I will do my best for labour,” the retired General pledged.

 

“Our plan to restore good governance, efficient and effective public sector stands to benefit the country’s labour force, perhaps more than any other subgroup.”

 

He noted further that “an APC government will protect and respect labourer’s right to organise, guaranteeing the rights to collective bargaining in good faith in law. Promote new skills, equip youth for a modern economy through a network of local technology institutions to provide free training in courses for the unemployed, among other benefits.”

 

Buhari vowed to institute just policies that would afford people the dignity of work and pay them a living wage for their sweat and toil.

 

His words: “We intend to do this by instituting a national industrial policy, coupled with a national employment directive that, together, shall revive and expand our manufacturing sector, creating jobs for our urban population and decreasing our reliance on expensive imports.”

 

Arguably, there seems to be contentious issues surrounding the minimum wage, unpaid salaries in almost all the states, casualisation, pension/gratuity matters, and passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as well as other entitlements that are yet to be resolved. All these Buhari must and address.

 

Observers say Buhari should critically look at labour challenges and ensure he gives it thorough attention rather than play politics with them, if he wants to succeed.

 

“If Buhari gets it wrong with labour, he will fail; so he has to take all measured steps in the right direction and leave a positive legacy. Already, Buhari is a brand name that when labour is convinced he stands for their welfare, they will rally round him; but if not, they will not give him a breathing space to do his job. He must tread softly and ensure he does not burn the goodwill that brought him to power,” observed Joseph Odife, a labour analyst.

 

Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Anambra State chapter, Ifeanyi Okechukwu, tasked Buhari on corruption, stressing that the civil service needed to be purged of corruption if the dividends of democracy would be delivered to Nigerians.

 

It is instructive that even when Buhari is yet to officially take over, Labour is already set to give him fire over the allegation that his government intends to remove fuel subsidy, and as such the National Assembly refused to make provision for it in the approved 2015 budget.

 

Both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and TUC, among other groups, have vowed to resist such move and prepared to go back to the trenches to engage him.

 

Factional Deputy President of NLC, Peters Adeyemi, on Wednesday, said if the in-coming administration is tinkering with the subsidy removal idea, organised labour would resist it.

 

He argued that subsidy did not exist, as it was part of the corruption the country had been battling.

 

Said Adeyemi: “We know it has been a contentious issue over the years. We have consistently said that there is nothing like subsidy. So, it is all about corruption. If you also take your minds back to the so-called removal of subsidy, it is something that numerous governments have embarked upon without an end. So, who tells you that if the incoming government embarks on it, it will see to the end of removal of subsidy?

 

“It is like the more you look, the less you see. For us in labour, we are not going to support that; both NLC and TUC. For now, we do not have the disposition to support that and we are not supporting it.”

 

Some political commentators, who spoke with TheNiche, say the strongest mitigating forces at this point for the country is for Buhari to redress the power sector deficits, give serious attention on salvaging the economy, encourage investments that are job-creating, tackle Labour challenge and focus on human capital development and reconstruction.

 

During the electioneering debate, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cajoled the electoral promises made to Nigerians by the APC, arguing that they were not realistic.

 

The PDP, speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, had accused the APC of deceiving Nigerians with its promises in a bid to win votes, saying the party had formed the habit of “one day, one lie”.

 

For the PDP, “APC’s promises are either bogus or part of the plot to subject the citizens to a harsh tax regime.”

 

What is obvious is that a lot of fundamental issues concerning labour must be properly addressed, if Buhari’s tenure must go down in history as one that is labour-friendly.

 

Now that Buhari will take over the baton of leadership on May 29 – less than four weeks from now, only time would tell whether he would deliver or, like successive regimes, be at daggers-drawn with Labour unions.

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