SOJI-EZE FAGBEMI, who attended the 2019 retreat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) with the theme: “Strategic Leadership and New Challenges in the Future of Work,” in Enugu, reports the five-day event and how labour leaders were inundated with professorial theses on leadership and management, investment, retirement pensions and accountability, and how to deal with challenges in the course of their job.
Importance of the retreat
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) opened its fourth retreat at the Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu, precisely on October 20, with its leadership across the country in attendance. According to the congress, a new set of leaders emerged at the level of its National Administrative Council (NAC) and the National Executive Council (NEC) following the National Delegates Conference held in February this year and its subsequent states delegates conferences held in April. The emergence of these new set of leaders necessitated the need for orientation, familiarisation, capacity building and agenda setting for the new leadership, against the background of the experiences of the past and contemporary happenings.
The General Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, while emphasizing on the importance of the retreat, said there was the need to blend the experience of the old with the budding vigour of the new and thus chart a stronger course for the congress in the next four years.
Besides, the NLC noted that the finances of the congress was becoming very low and this was a critical matter in implementing trade union engagements. “While the membership is falling, there is an increase in trade union activities and some unions affiliated to the congress cannot independently finance an activity alone. This is the basis for the strategic leadership retreat,” Comradre Ugboaja said.
Demand for a living wage
Before the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, declared the retreat open, President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, demanded for a living wage rather than a minimum wage. He told the Labour leaders that while they seek answers to the questions that the future of work brings, they should dispose all or most of the concerns that exist in the contemporary world of work.
Wabba said: “In this era, our workers still face the indignity of indecent work. In this age and time, Nigerian workers are forced to beg for their salaries which are now owed in arrears. While other countries have fully accommodated and automated the process of minimum wage adjustments and are now focused on living wages, we are faced with a situation where we are forced to bargain too hard and wait for too long for meagre increases in minimum wage and adjustments in salary.”
The NLC president regretted that employers were not allowing unionisation in work places, thus exposing millions of workers to indecent conditions of casual work status, slave wages, long hours of work without due compensation, and denial of social security cover.
While congratulating them for the recent upward adjustment in salaries consequent on the new national minimum wage, he said “Our collective diligence and persistence will put smiles on the faces of millions of Nigerian workers and take many families out of poverty.”
But he warned that it was not Uhuru, yet. “We call on all our State Councils to offer the needed leadership and work harmoniously with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) to ensure effective implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential salary adjustment which must be reached through a process of collective bargaining.”
The special guest of honour, Governor Ugwuanyi, in his remarks said the NLC has been uncompromising in advocacy and protection of workers and their well-being; while paying tribute to labour leaders who have sacrificed for the country.
According to him, retreat is central to capacity building, adding, “My administration will give priority to the welfare of our workers. Enugu deserves the best. Under my watch, the welfare of workers will be giving pride of place. On the issue of wages, I want to assure the NLC, workers in Enugu State will always get a better deal.
Revenue generating agencies don’t remit most revenues ― Senate President
Sunmonu advises and curses
The first President of NLC, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, spared no words while advising the Labour leaders. Having led both in the democratic era and the dark era of military rule, Comrade Sunmonu, who became the first President of NLC IN 1978, warned them against betraying the workers and Nigerian people who look up to them.
He acknowledged that temptations abound, but advised them to be above board. He equally acknowledged that some of the Labour leaders, like the political leaders would still betray their people. For those leaders, he said: “This retreat is education itself. One of the things retreat actually does to participants is to make them wiser, think deeper, make them not only forward looking but to apprehend issues, not to react to issues. So, retreats like this make us to organise, not to agonise. Organise, don’t agonise.
“Nobody can destroy the truth, because one of the names or attributes of God is the Truth. God Himself is the Truth, that is why you cannot destroy the truth. So, I urge you as NLC leaders never abandon the truth, stick by the truth no matter how bitter it is, no matter who is involved.”
He added: “Comrades, our political leaders are putting too much stress on the acquisitive propensities. They want to acquire money, money, and money, stealing, stealing and stealing. Please, remind them, our trade union leaders. The same thing also applies to us because we, like Caesar’s wife, we should also be above board. The position you are holding today in the union at whatever level, you are leaders. If you betray your members, you are going to see the wrath of God. If our political leaders betray Nigerian people, they are going to see the wrath of Allah. We are not cursing them, but we are saying. So, please in your daily work as trade union leaders, you are going to be confronted with a lot of temptations. So, truth, honesty, dedication, patriotism are needed. Leadership is a very important thing, don’t take it lightly.”
Trade unionism organisation and call for accountability
The lectures and the interactive sessions were on various subjects but basically related to trade unionism and organisation.
These include: Trade unions and emerging challenges in the world of work; Organizing and trade unions education; Trade unions Finance and Investment; Trade unions, politics and governance; Engaging government at state levels; Gender and youth mainstreaming; State Council leadership, management and accountability.
A former Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Kiri Mohammed, who spoke on State Council leadership, management and accountability, said the NLC has thrived up to today as a result of the selfless service and commitment of its founding fathers.
Therefore, he pointed out that trade union leadership will not be complete without making reference to the sacrifices of the founding fathers. According to him, it is in the context of this history of the movement, unionists would be able to understand what it takes to return to the founding principles of the NLC.
Comrade Kiri stressed the importance of leadership, saying that leadership was crucial for the running of any organisation,bin lauding the NLC.
He said the tripartite structure upon which NLC as an organisatikn operates – the National, State and Local branches – has accorded the NLC an organizational clout when mobilising workers for action across the country.
“This was evidenced by unprecedented successes of the campaigns organised by the NLC on minimum wage, electoral reforms and campaigns against the removal of subsidy from Petroleum product,” Kiri said.
He emphasized that states and local governments should collectively remain focused, transparent and committed to their responsibilities, while there should be strict adherence to the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria Labour Congress, ethical norms and democratic tenets.
Strengthening the structure of the NLC at state council level should be paid an utmost priority by the new leadership of the NLC across the country, he said, adding that this has become more imperative given the declining fortunes of unions in both public and private sector as a result of outsourcing, retrenchment and de-industrialisation of the economy.
He also stated that the state councils are the foot soldiers of deepening the congress campaigns on industrialisation, therefore, boosting the congress finances through the state council is equally imperative. More importantly, he emphasized the need for leaders at the state and local government levels to be financial accountable, and also be accountable to their members and the central body in whatever they do.
and then