…As Ajaero tours NLC’s affiliates
by Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) last month changed the baton of leadership in a process that ushered in Joe Ajaero, a former general secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), deputy president, NLC, and journalist.
Last week, the new administration hit the ground running with a tour of affiliates in Lagos. The NLC president left no one in doubt that the new administration would re-enact the firebrand that the organised labour movement was known for and provide leadership as expected by many Nigerians.
The first point of call was the National Union of Chemical Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), located in Ogun State, Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), in Lagos.
The NLC at the meetings faulted the employment operation system of the organised private sector (OPS), saying it is gradually losing relevance over rising incidents of outsourcing, casualisation and contract staffing.
Lamenting how the majority of workers are struggling to survive, Ajaero said the challenge has become a general problem across the country, promising to confront the challenges headlong.
The NLC chief said that the challenges were based on policies of the government, which tend to dispossess workers of their income.
He boasted about how he repositioned the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees and resisted labour contractors before the privatisation of the power sector, saying the union would have gone into extinction with many workers losing their jobs.
Besides the private sector, where the majority of workers in the unions operate, he mentioned that some departments in the public sector have been outsourced.
Ajaero alleged that government had to spend about N2 trillion as a subvention to a company on outsourcing and contract staffing, arguing that the amount could have been used to address critical areas of the economy.
As part of measures to address the problem, he promised to resuscitate the anti-casualization committee of the NLC, stating that workers should not be at the receiving end of the flawed system.
He pointed out that there is a new world of work, where contract staffers could be unionised.
Ajaero charged the unions to compile list of defaulting companies, which disallowed workers to be unionised, stressing that there was a need to create a Private Sector Negotiating Council (PSNC).
In response, president of NUCFRLANMPE, Goke Olatunji, implored the NLC chief to fight anti-worker practices, stop precarious jobs, fight bad policies of government for the welfare of workers and masses, as well as promote and strengthen inter-union relationship.
The National President of Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN), Emmanuel Adesanya, on his part urged Ajaero to have workers’ interests always at heart.
In the same vein, the immediate past president, National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), Lateef Oyelekan, bemoaned the unfavourable policies bedevilling the food sector.
Oyelekan said the sector needs immediate intervention from collapsing, charging Ajaero to strengthen the sector as over 60 percent of workers in the sector are casuals.
The leadership of Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) also raised the same issues of outsourcing and casualization as major problems hindering the growth and development in the oil and gas sector.
President of NUPENG, William Akporeha, alleged that there was a conspiracy between some stakeholders in the industry and government officials targeted at weakening the efforts of the union in ensuring the growth of workers in the sector through what he described as an irresponsible level of outsourcing and casualization.
According to him, “They do not employ NUPENG members in the upstream as permanent members anymore. Every job in the oil and gas industry is outsourced and the union is not allowed to organize its workers.”
He said that it had caused conflict of interests between unions as some members of NUPENG are forced to join other unions in order to keep their jobs.
“Workers in the oil and gas sector are being pushed to the wall by the management such that they resign to join road transport workers union, it is as bad as that. Even drivers from Chevron are not allowed to join NUPENG,” he said.
Akporeha lamented that the focus of Petroleum Industrial Act is to share oil money and not to protect the interest of the workers. “Stakeholders in the industry, such as the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Petroleum, do whatever they want, when it comes to policies.”
In his response, Ajaero blamed the problem on the policies and laxity of the Ministry of Labour, emphasizing that there should be a timeframe for an employee to be a casual worker after which his or her employment would be regularized.
He reiterated the stance of the NLC against such practice adding that every worker had the right to belong to whatever union they desire as backed up by section 40 of the constitution, “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests.”