NGO urges Labour to shelve proposed strike

An Ilorin, Kwara state based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Cultural and Societal Values for Development Initiatives (CSVDI) has appealed to the organised labour against embarking on another round of strike as a means of pressing home its demand for new wage from the federal government.

The organisation, in a statement by its General Secretary, Gabriel Olaoye, said instead of the strike, labour should agree with the federal government position but demand for resolutions of other issues that relate to the economic restructuring of the country.

One of the suggestions of the organisation is that workers should be made to go on strike in any state that fails to pay the new minimum wage on the 21st of every month. Besides, the group wants that any governor who seeks to proceed to the Senate after his tenure must first wait for a period of eight years before being allowed to do so.

Excerpt from the statement reads: “We are worried about the possible effects of the strike already proposed by labour as its pragmatic response to the alleged failure of government to honours its own side of the bargaining.

But while we recognise the use of strike as instrument of negotiation, we hasten to appeal to labour to consider our views hereunder presented as another way out of the looming industrial crisis.

“As Nigerians who are very much concerned not only about our today but the future of this country with her teeming population of currently mostly unemployed youths, we seek to appeal passionately to the leadership of the organised labour to allow for fair consideration in their demands and insistence on the minimum wage proposed by the labour. We plead that you allow the principle and philosophy of “half cake is better than none” to guide your stance.

“Our position is based on the pragmatic understanding that if some states find it difficult to pay the existing N18000, what will become of the workers in the same states when a much higher sum becomes operational?

“We rather wish to suggest that the labour leaders build into the agreement the following conditions / terms which we believe will make a new minimum wage far beneficial to the generality of Nigerians: If any state shall fail to pay promptly the new wage, the entire members of the organised labour state shall go on strike by the 21st of the month the specific state fails to pay.

“The Salary and Wages Commission shall review what each legislator and ministers at federal level, and governors and commissioners at state levels shall receive monthly and be enforced and audited to ensure compliance. There shall be no additional allowance without the input of the commission.

“Each political assistant shall be paid a regulated monthly sum directly by the ministry of finance. There shall be a maximum number of ministers, commissioner and assistants to reduce the burden of wages on recurrent budget at national, states and LGA councils where the autonomy shall be established and guaranteed.

“There shall be conditions to control and regulate the amount and operation of security votes by each executive officer. Each governor shall live on his pension for at least a political term before he can contest an election to the senate.

“The LG Council autonomy shall be established by the 8th national assembly. There shall be regulations on the authorities the Governors Forum shall exert on the president and same for ALGON on the governors.

“Each River Basin Authority shall be adequately equipped by a special fund from crude oil sales by 31/3/19 such that lands shall be prepared in adequate quanta in each state to encourage at least 50% of N-power in each state develop their entrepreneurial skills in farming, agro-processing and marketing of the products.”