How Ajaero-led NLC is uniting affiliate unions to defend workers, citizens’ rights, interests

CHRISTIAN APPOLOS writes on the efforts of the Comrade Joe Ajaero-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) towards forming a stronger bond with affiliate unions.

Spurred by the feeling that workers’ rights and entitlements are greatly trampled upon and not given appropriate attention by successive governments in Nigeria, the current leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) set out to form a formidable bond with affiliate unions to pursue and protect members’ interest.

This move may also be to debunk the perception of the congress as ‘a toothless bulldog.’ It might also be born out of the myriad of pressing issues relating to workers’ condition of service and the constant wailing of affiliate unions about unfair treatment by both the federal and state governments, in demonstration of the mantra that ‘injury to one is injury to all.’

Moreover, the International Labour Standard, championed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), encourages workers across the world to unionise and form a strong bond in order to have a better chance when negotiating with their employers.

This is important to maintain balance in the world of work with regard to the protection of workers’ rights and promotion of their interests against unfair labour treatment by either government or private sector employers.

These, therefore, must be the reason the president of the congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in his inauguration speech on February 8, 2023, vowed to re-unite and form a formidable bond between NLC and its affiliate unions to defend the interest of workers and Nigerians at large. And today, the game seems to be on.

It is worthy to note that the affiliate unions of the NLC are 53 in number and are NLC’s backbone and strength. In fact, they are the main reason the congress prides itself aon being a pan-Nigerian organisation, whose only interest is a better country for the citizens.

To kick-start what the congress termed familiarisation and galvanisation tour, Comrade Ajaero and his delegates first visited the affiliate unions whose headquarters are in Lagos, while the visit to unions with head offices in Abuja started on Monday, May 22. The Amalgamatied Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees (AUPCTRE), was the first union visited in Abuja.

The visit continued till Friday, May 27, to the following unions: the Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education, Nigeria (SSUCOEN); Nigeria Union of Public Service Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processing and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW); Senior Staff of Nigerian Universities (SSANU); Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU); Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN); Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT); Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN); National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), with more to be visited by the delegate.

All the unions visited presented their challenges, ranging from government’s lackadaisical attitude to improving facilities, condition of working environments, implementation of agreements, refusal to pay withheld salaries that accrued during strike action, poor minimum wage, poor funding of education sector, poor remuneration of workers monthly salaries, unfair treatment of some directors-general and chief executives, etc.

In his reactions to the unions at the various meetings, the NLC President praised the unions and pledged the commitment of the congress’ new leadership to working for them. He went further to assure the unions that issues affecting their members are on the priority list of the Labour centre.

Ajaero noted that it is the statutory duty and responsibility of the Nigeria Labour Congress to fight for the interest of the affiliate unions. He added that without the unions, NLC will not exist; therefore, the NLC under his leadership must pay attention to the challenges facing the unions.

Furthermore, Comrade Ajaero stated that NLC under his watch had decided to form a stronger bond among the unions under its umbrella. He added that such bond will help the congress and its affiliate unions resurrect their fighting spirit for workers’ rights and interests, as well as in negotiation with employers and in taking industrial action, as the case may be.

“Without the unions, there is no NLC. The strength of the unions translates to the strength of the NLC. The unions own NLC. Therefore, the unity of labour unions is a priority for us. We need to be more united and form a stronger bond in the interest of the rights of our teeming members across Nigeria. As you know, nothing has ever been given to us on a silver platter. Every entitlement and implementation of our rights that our members enjoy today was gotten through firm demand and struggle. That is why we say the struggle must continue.”

“That is why we decided that one good thing we must to do under our watch is to make NLC a proactive labour centre. We want to make NLC a fighting machine. No apology to any human being, whether a governor or president. If you step on our toes, within two hours, we start the fight. We are poised to galvanise and entrench the fighting spirit of labour movement to enable us withstand the challenges ahead.

“The ILO is championing a decent work agenda and a new social contract in the interest of bettering the world of work and living condition of workers and the society at large, and we, a tripartite component of labour governance, must prepare ourselves and be ready to play our part.

“For us in Africa and Nigeria in particular, governments hardly on its own come up with ideas and policies that will better the living and working conditions of workers. We must not only be lamenting; we must strengthen ourselves to be able to engage government in the interest of workers and the citizens at large.

“You can imagine a situation where some state governors are refusing to pay a meagre N30,000 minimum wage passed into law since 2019. You begin to wonder the kind of human beings we entrusted the leadership of our country and future to.

“This same people lavish our common wealth – monies meant to pay workers’ salaries, do developmental projects and secure our lives and properties, dividends of good governance – on personal gratifications. Yet they always find a way to play victim whenever workers’ unions protest against unfair labour treatment either through street match or strike. We must not allow them continue while we just lament.”

Also, Ajaero charged affiliate unions to take the issue of politics serious. He hinted that it was time labour unions and members supported and voted fellow trade unions members into political offices so they can have a voice in the decision making of government.

He further urged unions to train and retrain their members to understand the tenets of labour movement, labour laws and to be bold to confront challenges facing workers and unions.

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