By Eberechi Obinagwam
The president of the Nigerian Labour Congress, comrade Joe Ajaero has accused Federal government of showing enormous unfaithfulness in keeping to agreements in the past year, 2023.
Ajaero in his new year message to Nigerians and its workers titled: “2024 can be better if…” said the year 2023 was undoubtedly a test of collective strength and resilience where the union faced uncertainties, overcome obstacles and witnessed moments that may have left Nigerians feeling distheartened.
He said they witnessed two major agreements signed between the federal government, NLC and TUC – June 5th and October 2nd Agreements.
According to him, whether these have been faithfully implemented or not is open for every discerning Nigerian to see. Adding that, in all of these, the government has shown enormous unfaithfulness in keeping to agreements.
“The N35,000 Wage Award has not been faithfully implemented, the PH refinery has not come on stream as projected while the National Minimum Wage Negotiation Council has not been inaugurated as agreed, the CNG has been distorted by agents of government for the benefit of a few.
“Divisions along our various primordial fault lines rather than heal became exacerbated this year mainly as a result of the unfortunate activities of politicians who played them up in their bid to win elections. Our nation has therefore become more divided than ever with growing suspicion and increasing trust deficits along those lines. Citizens’ confidence in the government is therefore deeply wounded causing further disconnect between the people and governments as government continues with policies that negate the welfare of citizens. We observe only few pockets of progress in governance in some states but largely, the instruments of governance are mainly deployed for the sole benefits of those who believe they have captured the instruments of governance thus use them for their sole benefit,” he said.
Speaking further, he said 2023 is also a year where we have seen the increasing use of violence and unrivaled propaganda as tools of engagement in the nation’s industrial relations sphere, citing the November 1st bestial abduction and brutalisation of the NLC president and others by the government and police in Owerri, Imo State while in an effort to demand that the government obeys agreements that it had reached with them in an engagement that started from 2021 and continued at the beginning of 2023 until November.
Also, he said, the boundary between the tools used in electioneering and in actual governance seems to have been ruptured as the same mindless violence and crudity witnessed during the last election cycle is now being used by those in government as a weapon in managing workplace relations in Nigeria.
“We have witnessed government’s interference in the internal affairs of trade unions all in a bid to capture the levers of power in these unions and use them to seek to hold the civic space in our nation hostage and thwart citizens efforts at holding the government accountable”
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He stressed that generally, it has been a turbulent year both for workers and Nigerian people as the negative Economic policies of Government begin to bite harder on poor Nigerians as predicted.
“Workers continue to grapple with the worst forms of deprivations thus unable to meet their basic needs while transportation to go to work continues to be a nightmare. Nigerian masses have experienced the worst form or angst and suffering as access to basic nutrition has become more difficult while Education and basic social utilities have become the sole purview of the rich. This year’s festive season has been made so difficult for the masses that the usual joy associated with the season was replaced with worries and anxiety all over the nation.”
Assuring Nigerians of a better future, he said; “However, in the face of these adversities, it is crucial to recognize that it may have seemed hopeless at times, but we firmly believe that together, we can make 2024 better. The spirit of unity and solidarity that defines our great nation has seen us through numerous trials in the past, and it will undoubtedly guide us towards a brighter future.
“That future can only come with our resolve to act together as we reposition ourselves to act better and more creatively to grapple with the forces that are holding our nations down in a cesspool of underdevelopment and misery. The Nigeria Labour Congress is committed to providing the necessary leadership as we move into the new year to ensure that we responsibly hold the government accountable and nudge it towards working for the benefit of the majority.”
Pledging its committement, NLC said it will be committed in To this end, NLC will be committed in 2024 towards ensuring that a living wage becomes possible for all Nigerian workers by working with others to secure a National Minimum Wage that approximates to the dictates of the various parameters that make incomes humane and grants access to basic necessities of life for the average worker.
“We will recommit to building workplaces that guarantees the rights and privileges of workers while building the basis for continuous wealth creation for our nation. All actions that will therefore ensure that Decent work gaps are reduced to their barest minimum will be encouraged. We will therefore strengthen our collaboration with the federal ministry of Labour, NECA and the TUC using the tripartite process to regulate the Industrial Relations space and ensure that the reviewed labour administration laws are forwarded to the National Assembly for passage into Law.”
“From every indication, 2024 will be an interesting year. Interesting because it will witness a period where all that has been taken away from workers will be restored. Any Private sector employer or Agency of Government that is therefore owing any Nigerian worker anywhere should be ready to pay up in 2024.
We will work in collaboration with our civil society partners to generate frameworks that will build stronger and more robust civic space which ensures that our voices are heard at all times and used to check and assist the government to take the right actions that will make governance more effective and beneficial for the majority of the citizenry.
NLC will seek to work with partners and patriots everywhere to pursue the creation of more effective structures to protect the institutions of democracy in Nigeria. We shall to this end join hands with other willing forces to begin work at strengthening our leadership recruitment processes especially the electoral framework in Nigeria. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that credibility is restored to our elections which is the foundation for enthroning a more responsive and responsible government that remains accountable thus totally anchored on the people.
Much more, we will engage Government to ensure that the agreement it reached with us in our last negotiations especially the October 2nd Agreement are implemented.” The statement reads.
Ajaero in the statement called on everyone to join hands to foaster a culture of inclusivityunderstanding, and collaboration.
“By working together, we can address the issues that affect us all and pave the way for positive change. Our nation is rich in diversity, and it is this diversity that can be our greatest strength when harnessed for the common good, Ajaero said.
