Workers head for showdown with FG - Reject planned hike in electricity tariff - Lament over food prices

From Soji-Eze Fagbemi, Komolafe Rasheed and Idowu Samuel - 02.05.2008

NIGERIAN workers seem to have drawn the battle line with the Federal Government as they have vowed to reject, at all cost, the proposed increase in electricity tariffs.

The workers also raised the alarm that they were hungry, and that the current food crisis was last witnessed during the civil war. They, therefore, formally demanded for increase in their wages and salaries.

The workers told President Umaru Yar’Adua at the May Day celebration held on Thursday in Abuja that the various governments had refused to deliver those things that make life meaningful.

They also told the president that successive governments had left them and Nigeria worse than they met them.

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, regretted that 48 years after independence, workers and Nigerian people were hungry and were faced with hunger and death.

“Where are we today? We are at a stage where majority of our people are hungry. After 48 years of independence, we are faced with the most serious food crisis since the civil war. Unemployment has become a national crisis and there is no household without jobless people, including graduates of various disciplines.

“Workers are poorly paid in the same country where political office holders double and triple their own salaries with predictable regularity. The pension crisis continues and Nigerian pensioners are now the most abused and neglected,” he said.

He pointed out that the social sector offered no standard services, which explained why the sick did not get properly treated adding that schools had largely become factories for producing educated illiterate.

“Our industries are folding up and jobs are being lost in thousands all over the country. Nigeria is in darkness as power supply has become almost completely unavailable. Our factories, offices and homes now run on generators, one word summarises the condition of our people, that is: poverty.”

According to him, Nigerian workers have all gathered to reflect over the Nigerian condition and demand solutions from government at all levels, saying: “An examination of the nation shows that Nigeria does not work for its people. The government does not deliver those things that make life meaningful. If anything, our successive governments, military and civilian, have left us worse than they met us.”

Comrade Omar noted that yesterday was the first May Day celebration under President Yar’Adua and stated that in political sphere, the country had continued to perform poorly in many critical areas, adding that the presidency was still in dispute.

Many political office holders, according to him, were still battling for survival in various tribunals and the business of governance had been abandoned in many states.

He said the workers must demand for action on the part of government.

“Comrades and friends, today, we must demand action and action. We must demand action from government on the economy, on corruption, on the scandalous electoral process, on education, on salaries, on pension, on monetisation, on food crisis, on industry, on jobs, on power, on fuel and on infrastructure,” he said.

On the proposed increase in electricity tariffs, the NLC president said that labour would resist it, saying that Nigerians were already spending much on alternative sources with the epileptic supply of electricity.

“Labour will resist any attempt to increase electricity tariffs at this time. With the epileptic supply of electricity, Nigerians spend too much on alternative sources. Increasing tariffs will mean double jeopardy and labour will certainly not accept this. We believe that stability of power supply needs to be attained and guaranteed before an upward review of electricity tariffs is contemplated,” Omar added.

On wage increase, Omar said: “It is time to demand salary increases, especially in view of the unbearable cost of living. We will approach government to open up negotiations on a review of existing wages and conditions. As we speak, political office holders are earning enhanced salaries and allowances.

“Salaries of political office holders have been increased on two occasions while salaries of workers have remained the same. There is now a moral imperative for a wage review, otherwise the situation will remain as our veterans used to describe it — ‘monkey de work baboon de chop’.”

The NLC president expressed concern over the astronomical rise in food prices, which has persisted despite the release of grains from the strategic reserves by the Federal Government.

Though, he recognised that there was an emerging global food crisis, Omar stated that government needed to take urgent steps to prevent hunger in the country, adding that the reported ban being placed on food exports by many countries should also serve as a critical lesson to Nigeria.

However, President Yar’Adua, in his message to the workers, which was read by the Minister of Labour, Dr. Hassan Lawal, said the workers occupied a central position in the government efforts to respond to the development challenges facing the country today.

To lay a foundation for sustaining poverty reduction and employment generation, Yar’Adua pointed out that the workers, as partners in progress, had critical roles to play.