Daily Independent Online.
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Tuesday, August 10, 2004.
Mamora warns against passage of Labour Reform Bill
By Habib Aruna
Assistant
Political Editor, Lagos
Senator
Olorunnimbe Mamora at the weekend joined the rank of opponents of the recent
Labour Reform Bill sent to the National Assembly by President Olusegun
Obasanjo, saying the motive behind the move was injurious to democracy.
Speaking in
Lagos, the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly pointed out that
it was the same Obasanjo who unified the operations of the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) when he was the head of state, adding that the intension then
was to have a centralised union that could stand for the interest of the workers.
“But this
present bill is completely at variance with the 1978 reform”, says
Mamora, adding that “most disturbing is the aspect that says unions can
only exist subject to the approval of the ministers and the 2/3 support of
members before a strike could be embarked upon”.
“It is out
of place for government to dictate to workers how to run their affairs. This is
totally and completely antithetical to democratic spirit and it appears like a
subtle move to muzzle Labour in this country, which is not right.” He
said
Speaking on the
likely outcome of the bill in the Senate, Mamora, who is the chairman of the
Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, said it was a sensitive issue that
would need to undergo public hearing and that it would be premature to preempt
the position of his colleagues.
He however
cautioned that, “ as a representative of the people, we must do that
which is good for democracy and the country. As a person, I believe there is
more to that bill”.
And speaking on
the likely implications of the passage, Mamora stated that labour would be
muzzled and the country would have been denied the opportunity of listening to
the views of a formidable group.
“In its
present form, NLC’s Oshiomhole has been formidable and has been able to
defend the cause of not just the workers, but all Nigerians. So, if that bill
is allowed to pass through, we would have been denied a formidable opinion
which is not in the best interest of democracy”, he stressed.
He also spoke on the recent statement credited to the
President that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would capture Lagos
State in 2007, saying that the AD is not yet ready to relinquish Lagos. This is
because, according to him, the party has warmed itself to the hearts of the
people by good governance, adding that when the chips are down, the electorate
know those to follow and those to believe. “In an atmosphere of free and
fair election, the people will vote AD any day any time. We have performed; we
have antecedents under the leadership of Bola Tinubu who has performed very
well. But we will continue to do our job to justify the confidence reposed on
us,” he maintained.
