ULC berates FG over ‘no work no pay’ proposal

The United Labour Congress (ULC) has berated the federal government over plans to introduce ‘no work no pay’ rule.

The National President of ULC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, described the development as very unfortunate; especially coming from a Labour Minister who understands the realities under which Nigerian workers live and work.

Ajaero said, “We understand the frustration of the honourable minister over the spate of industrial crisis in the country but we would have thought that the Minister should have properly situated the dynamics of these issues and how they eventually led to crisis. If he had properly queried it, he would have had a better understanding of the best way to engage it creatively and effectively.

“It is important that we should inform the Minister that the path which he has chosen to tread on this matter will not yield any tangible fruit neither will it dissuade Nigerian workers from embarking on strike, especially if nothing is done to the environment under which we live and work.

“As a matter of fact, the same way the No strike clause in the Trade Union Amendment Act has failed woefully as a tool to addressing industrial conflicts, this one will also fail because you cannot continue beating a child and denying him the right to cry.”

He said it has reached a situation where workers may not honour the minister’s invitation for negotiations because the government uses it to buy time and implement what it plans to implement.

“Nigerian workers are forced to see the Ministry as a partial, unreliable and thus unfruitful framework for resolving Industrial Relations issues in the Country.

“We advise the Minister not to therefore seek to take actions that would undermine the capacity of his Ministry to deliver on his responsibilities to the Nigerian people, workers and indeed the government.

“As it is now, the Ministry’s utterances seem to be unfortunately pointing towards that direction. This portends a great danger to the nation’s capacity and capability to resolve Industrial conflicts. This unfortunate pronouncement is truly self-indicting against the Minister and the Ministry he runs.,” he added.

ULC, therefore, urged the government to address those real factors that threatens the terms and conditions of employment of the average Nigerian worker; those elements that make it difficult for employers of Labour to respond quickly to demands of Nigerian workers before they are forced to embark on strike as a last resort.