- Suspends strike, to resume negotiations with govt
By Bimbola Oyesola
THE National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday rose from an emergency meeting in Abuja, and announced the suspension of its nationwide industrial action.
The NLC in a communiqué jointly signed by the President, Ayuba Wabba and the General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said Labour centre suspended the action based on its impact across the nation.
But Daily Sun authoritatively gathered that the real reason leadership of the organised labour took the decision was to avoid running foul of the law. Labour had initially vowed last week that the strike would run for two weeks, after which it would be reviewed.
The union is expected to appear in court today “having been formally served with the court injunction from the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Abuja,” a competent source told Daily Sun.
A faction of the NLC-led by Wabba had chosen last Wednesday for the commencement of an indefinite strike to protest the “the unjustified and illegal hike in electricity tariff and increase in the pump price of petrol.”
But on the eve of the action, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami obtained an order restraining organized labour from going ahead with strike. The AG, while moving the ex-parte application, told the court that the strike was not in the national interest if NLC was allowed to shut down the country. Malami cited Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to justify his application.
Labour went ahead with the strike, claiming that it was unaware of the judgment. However, to avoid impunity and contempt of court, the union’s lawyer, Femi Falana, was said to have advised the Congress to put the strike on hold and honour the court summon.
“Our lawyer said as we have now been served, we must obey the court, noting that not obeying will amount to impunity and when this happens, government will have the upper hand. Besides, we have the assurance that we can win through the legal process, because there is a case that happened on the same issue in 2003/2004 and we won and had the judgment then and up till now government is yet to appeal against the judgment,” a source at the NLC said.
The source revealed that the NLC was also returning to the negotiation table today, but insisted that the position of the Congress on the price hike has not changed.
Despite suspending the strike, NEC reiterated the correctness of its position on the twin-issues of electricity tariff hike and astronomical increase in the pump price of PMS and the hardship they portend for Nigerian masses.
According to the communique, “NEC also acknowledged that the temptation to compare the strike with that of 2012 could be compelling, but that the scenario had changed as both the actors and the terrain were different.
“NEC said before it embarked on the action, it had anticipated a probable outcome and therefore was not surprised by government’s negative response. Nonetheless, it felt fulfilled by having the presence of mind and courage to identify its mission and fulfilling it, stressing that if a similar situation arises again, it will still rise and stand with the people.”
The Congress commended those who took part in the action in one way or the other and reaffirm its commitment to the struggle.
“Congress singled out for commendation, its state councils, affiliates and other patriotic Nigerians who at very short notice picked up the gauntlet for this struggle. Congress commends the leadership of the National Assembly and All Progressives Congress led by Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
“In consideration of the above, NEC after due consultation with its constituents resolved to suspend with immediate effect, the action it commenced on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. The action is hereby suspended.”
As it returns to the negotiation table, the congress urged the government to play by the rules in its engagement with its constituent parts, stakeholders and non-state actors as proof of its commitment to deepening the nation’s democracy and also in acknowledgment of the well-worn credo that what goes around, comes around.
Meanwhile, the TUC said its decision to shun the strike was in the overall interest of Nigerians
Mr Bobboi Kaigama, President of the union, said yesterday in Jalingo, Taraba State, that the country’s economy would have collapsed if TUC had insisted on the old pump price regime of N86.50 or joined NLC to embark on the strike.
According to him, the old price regime became practically unsustainable given the facts and figures presented to the union by the Federal Government`s team during negotiations.
Meanwhile, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has explained why he stood with the Federal Government on the new price of petrol, saying the fundamentals and economic indices are different from what they were a few years ago and it is the difficult pain Nigerians must undergo before reaping the gains.
According to him, it does not make economic sense for the government to spend more than half its earnings just on fuel subsidy to the detriment of other development programmes.
Speaking in Benin City, yesterday, Oshiomhole said the government of former president Goodluck Jonathan spent as much as N1.2 trillion on fuel subsidy.
“As many of you might have known, this is not my first time in the struggle against pump price increase. I have fought it over and over again, and at a point, God used us to shut down the country just to make a point to the then government in power, but the truth is that the fundamentals have changed.
“Under President Olusegun Obasanjo, we were talking of N20 billion for subsidy. And Obasanjo would ask me, Comrade, N20 billion can build XYZ road. I think the last one was about N40 to N45 billion a year for subsidy.
“However, the last government under President Goodluck Jonathan quadrupled the number to N1.2 trillion. When your total earning is about N2 trillion and you spend more than half for petrol, how much will you use for your house? How much money will you use for clothing of your children? How much will you use to send your children to school?”
“Government must make investments in research, in education, in technology. If we spend all our money or half of it on subsidy, we will drink petrol without vehicles for us to ride in. It simply doesn’t make sense anymore,” he said.