Questions labour must answer, By Gbemiga Ogunleye

Couldn’t Labour have given extra time for the federal government to answer its calls for? Is wage enhance the one answer to financial woes employees are going through? Couldn’t Labour have made different calls for like calling for the scrapping of one of many two arms of the Nationwide Meeting to save lots of prices on this attempting time? How about Labour asking authorities to offer employees with important foodstuff at subsidised costs?

The yr was 1996. I had simply been appointed Editor of The PUNCH. The Chairman, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola advised me my mandate, amongst others, was to make the paper probably the most extensively learn newspaper within the nation.

Maybe to make sure that I achieved the goal, he added: “Editor, you may have the facility to evaluate all editorial appointments.”

In a capsule, the person was telling me I might rent and fireplace any workers.

I assumed that was an superior energy and I rapidly reminded myself of the saying: energy corrupts and absolute energy corrupts completely!

That energy I advised myself should not be used whimsically.

The NLC President, Joe Ajaero and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo are very highly effective males. And within the final 24 hours, have been utilizing their monumental powers whimsically.

Following the failure to achieve an settlement on a brand new minimal wage, each males have shut down the nation.

The have requested their males to close down the nationwide grid, so the nation is in darkness. Their foot troopers have taken over the management towers at each the home and worldwide airports, so flights can neither take off nor land.

Hospitals have shut their doorways to sufferers. The courts have been put underneath lock and key, so these awaiting trial and people hoping to get out of detention on bail have their issues compounded.

To make sure, the price of dwelling is changing into insufferable. Costs of commodities, particularly meals have risen astronomically. Issues are notably unhealthy for many Nigerians, particularly these of us who’re retired, who won’t even profit when the salaries of employees are Elevated.

However regardless of the horrible financial state of affairs we face, I ask: Is the drugs for headache the reducing of the top?

It’s not too late for Labour to have a rethink and return to the negotiation desk. Insisting on over 4 hundred thousand naira at the least wage is carrying the sacrifice past the mosque. What number of states are paying the present minimal wage of thirty thousand naira? In addition to, the argument might be made that acceding to Labour’s demand won’t solely gas inflation however that it’ll result in the mass sack of employees in each the general public and the personal sectors.

Couldn’t Labour have given extra time for the federal government to answer its calls for? Is wage enhance the one answer to financial woes employees are going through? Couldn’t Labour have made different calls for like calling for the scrapping of one of many two arms of the Nationwide Meeting to save lots of prices on this attempting time? How about Labour asking authorities to offer employees with important foodstuff at subsidised costs?

This was finished within the mid 80s when the nation was going through an identical financial crises.

One is tempted to ask if Labour is conscious of the regulation that prohibits these on important providers like electrical energy employees from happening strike?

Are Ajaero and Osifo conscious that some electrical energy employees hung out in jail previously for happening strike?
In addition to, by beating employees who selected to not be a part of the strike and locking them out, is Labour not violating the rights of its members to freedom of affiliation and freedom of thought?

These are basic rights assured by our Structure.

It’s not too late for Labour to have a rethink and return to the negotiation desk. Insisting on over 4 hundred thousand naira at the least wage is carrying the sacrifice past the mosque. What number of states are paying the present minimal wage of thirty thousand naira? In addition to, the argument might be made that acceding to Labour’s demand won’t solely gas inflation however that it’ll result in the mass sack of employees in each the general public and the personal sectors.

In conclusion, the Federal Authorities ought to realise that, certainly, the persons are hungry! It ought to persuade the governors and the organised personal sector to conform to a minimal wage of 100 thousand naira.

Past that, the federal government ought to quick observe its implementation of the importation and manufacturing of the CNG buses; make sure that native refineries are working in order that we will cease the shameful importation of refined gas and thus convey down drastically the pump worth of petrol.

And at last, can the Federal Authorities do one thing in regards to the worth of the naira?

These measures, will little doubt have a big impact on the suffocating price of dwelling.

Gbemiga Ogunleye, a journalist and lawyer, was editor of The PUNCH and ex-provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.