The call was made by the Precision Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association, PERESSA, on Monday in a statement made available to FrontPage.

While congratulating the Joe Ajaero-led new executive of the NLC, PERESA warned that it should be ready for a moral struggle for the labour movement’s ideological repositioning.

It said that the NLC leadership that had emerged “at this pivotal time in our nation’s history must demonstrate brave leadership and a willingness to fight.”

Stressing the need for urgent action to stem the tide of current hardship in the country, PERESA, in the statement signed by Mr. Rufus Olusesan (National President) and Mr. Dele Ojo (General Secretary), urged the labour movements to display radical leadership and organise the rank-and-file workers and poor masses for resistance against the ongoing privatization in various sectors of the economy as well as numerous anti-labour policies of casualisation, nonpayment of minimum wage.”

The statement reads in part: “We hereby urge the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to unite and call a warning 48 hour general strike and mass protest against the current hardship caused by cash shortage, fuel scarcity and hike in the prices of petrol, food, transport, housing and other basic necessities of life.

“Furthermore, there is an urgent need for the NLC and the TUC to display radical leadership and organize the rank-and-file workers and poor masses for resistance against the ongoing privatization in various sectors of the economy as well as numerous anti-labour policies of casualization, non-payment of minimum wage and non- remittance of pension which have caused enormous suffering and agony on the working populace.

“We also use this opportunity to urge the labour movement  to recommit to its traditional anti-capitalist stance, and reject policies and programmes that entrench wealth inequality – and increases wealth accumulation for the capitalist profiteers – while pushing workers and poor masses further down the abyss of poverty and misery living.”

The group warned that unless labour adopted an anti-capitalist and socialist programme of struggle alongside the building of a mass workers political alternative, it might be impossible to win permanent improvement in the wages and working conditions of average workers let alone rescue Nigeria from the capitalist misrule that it said had held it down for decades.”

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Until his elevation, Ajaero was the Deputy President of the NLC and General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees.

He was unanimously elected unopposed as the NLC president at the just-concluded 13th National Delegates’Conference of the Labour movement.

The APC presidential flag-bearer extended his best wishes to the new Labour leader, while urging him to use his new position to mobilise the entire Labour movement for national unity, enhanced national productivity and socio-economic justice for all Nigerians.

Asiwaju Tinubu also praised the immediate-past NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba for his years of service and for leading Nigerian workers conscientiously.

“I congratulate the new NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, for his election, particularly for having the confidence of his colleagues who unanimously elected him unopposed.

“Being elected by your colleagues is a measure of confidence and trust in your demonstrable ability to lead the NLC to new era of progress, cooperation and value creation for Nigerian workers and the entire people of our blessed country.

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Mr Joe Ajaero, Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said this at a news conference jointly organised by NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, on Monday in Abuja.

Organised labour on Sunday at a reconvened meeting with Federal Government aimed at addressing the increase in price of fuel and electricity tariff staged a walkout.

The meeting was necessitated by the recent increase of pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise called petrol, from N160 per litre to N170 and the increase of electricity tariff.

Ajaero said that federal government had violated the agreements reached with the organised labour, adding that the congress would not at the slightest provocation start talking about strike.

“Our strike was suspended on September 28 based on certain understanding and those understanding were being violated and that was why we raised that alarm yesterday, which led to the walk out.

“We cannot call you out here to announce a strike and the next strategy as if the unions are one man organisation. Part of what we are doing in terms of engagement is to reach out and if every other means fails, strike is usually the last option by any union.

“We do not just at the slightest provocation start talking about strike. I think that is not what is on the table now. There are certain disagreements which we are trying to address.

“We say that we can’t accept deregulation that is import-driven and that the refineries must work before you think of it and then you go into price fixing.

“Price fixing is not the same thing as deregulation, you cannot regulate in a deregulated market. If they have deregulated, the price of product in Sokoto will not be the same thing with that of Abuja, there will be variations,” he said.

Speaking, Mr Muhammed Idris, NLC Deputy President, also explained why labour walked out of the meeting with government on Sunday.

Idris said that what they had prioritised as urgent was the increment of fuel price and electricity tariff before delving into the issue of palliatives.

He said that all efforts to make the government see reason failed and given the tense situation, labour had no option than a walk out.

“This is in spite of the patriotic understanding of labour which has drawn the flak of the public which thinks we are not doing enough to protect their interests on the issues of petroleum products and electricity tariffs.

“The terms and conditions for putting the protest on hold were clearly spelt out in the Memorandum of Understanding.

“The conditions include fixing the existing refineries, entrusting them to efficient managements, creating an enabling environment for new refineries, and doing all positive things that would ensure enhanced and sustainable local refining capacity.

“Furthermore, government and labour committee was setup to review the increase in electricity tariff,” he said.

He, however, noted that the letter and spirit of the terms and conditions of the agreement presuppose that contemplation of an increase or an increase would constitute a breach of the dialogue process.

Source: NAN

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The workers embarked on the strike on Wednesday to protest the refusal of government to attend to their demands.

Recall that the electricity workers had given the government a 21-day ultimatum to implement their demands.

They warned that at the expiration of the ultimatum, they would down tools if the government refused to be bothered.

However, the strike was suspended following the dialogue between the union and the federal government which eventually held.

According to the General Secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, in a statement, the dialogue which was held Wednesday night till early Thursday morning yielded fruit.

All the concerns of the union, he said, had been addressed.

His words: “Following the agreement reached between NUEE and representatives of Government this morning, on all the issues in contention, the Union wishes to suspend the industrial action it embarked upon to press home these demands.

“Consequently, members are urged to return to their duty posts while we monitor the implementation of these agreements. We would not hesitate to resume action if the agreements are not implemented.”

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The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the United Labour Congress, ULC, gave the warning on Sunday at a press conference.

The labour unions said November 6 had been marked as the date for the commencement of the strike in case the Federal Government failed to yield.

The conference was addressed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and ULC President, Joe Ajaero.

The labour unions said contrary to reports, labour agreed to a N30,000 as minimum wage as a compromise to show the willingness of the Nigerian workers to contribute to the development of the nation.

The union said the Federal Government proposed N24,000 while state governments suggested N20,000.

However, an agreement was reached to have N30,000.

The union leaders said in view of the wrong information being pushed out over the discussions at the meeting, it was imperative for the Organised Private Sector (OPS) which was also represented in the tripartite committee to speak on the issue.

 The labour leaders said:  “It is not true that we proposed N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

“It is also not true that the committee did not agree on a figure during its last sitting. We accepted N30,000 as a compromise to demonstrate the willingness of Nigerian workers to make sacrifices towards nation building.

“Keeping silent in the face of this apparent mischief does our nation no good. At this time the OPS does not have any other choice but to rise to the occasion by telling Nigerians what transpired in the meeting.

“What we are waiting for is for the federal government to immediately set in motion the necessary machinery for turning the agreement into a Bill for onward submission to the NASS where we expect the presidency to work together with the legislators to make it a law so that it can be implemented quickly.

“A day of national outrage and mourning which will be used to sensitise Nigerians on our plight and on the issues at stake. This shall take place in all states of the federation including Abuja on Tuesday, the 30th day of October, 2018.”

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