Labour Bill: Why Rally Must Hold -Ubani
By Ndubuisi Ugah
More revelations have emerged on why Civil Society Groups in collaboration with Labour decided to stage today's rally which it hoped to use to denounce a Labour reform bill initiated by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Executive Director, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Mr. Chima Ubani, who spoke to our reporter, said the rally became imperative since the Federal Government through the proposed Labour bill, which is before the National Assembly intend to destroy labour movements in the country.
He said "the Federal Government has come up with this bill to emasculate labour movement so that there would be no platform available for labour, most importantly, to resist current and future attacks on their welfare and wellbeings through the hostile economic programmes of this government".
Ubani said the rally was not intended to be a confrontational or violent one but to drive home the coalition's stand on the intended amendment of the Trade Unions Act, adding that "we are going there to say that the Nigerian people do not support this bill".
He explained that President Obasanjo erred in his approach of passing the bill to the National Assembly as there should have beeen a public hearing, on the subject matter before it (bill) was sent to the Assembly for further deliberations.
"There ought to be public hearing on this bill by virtue of the standing rules, so that the National Assembly will take into account the views of Nigerians before taking a step either to pass or reject the bill. That is the standard procedure. Our action is to make them see reason, to set saide this obnoxious bill", he stated.
He argued that the rally was not going to be different from previously staged rallies since it was obvious that the Federal Government has failed in its responsibilities to provide social security for lives and property.
"So it is merely a continuation of the process of resistance that has been ongoing. We are going on Tuesday to tell the National Assembly that this is simply our stand on the bill, as we are not going to attack them and we are not going there to cause violence or anything", he said.
Ubani expressed regret that the National Assembly rather than uphold its constitutional obligations to the country has even compromised in many areas, which posed threats to the nascent democracy in the country.
"We are not going to be moved by what the government would do or not do. We have a constitutional right to let the National Assembly to know our views as Nigerians on the bill before vetting it or not. Even the rules of the Natioanl Assembly requires that before any bill is passed, there must be public hearing, so the national Assembly is violating its own due process. If he (Obasanjo) refuses to seek and take into account the opinions and views of Nigerian citizens and organised civil society on any bill, we wont be deterred by whatsoever the government may have done in the past to suppress public protest", he argued.
According to him, "it is the feeling of Nigerians that we are expressing be it on the issue of fuel price increase or on the issue of retrenchment of workers or the issue of increase in school fees. Our movement has consistently represented the feelings of Nigerians except that the government has consistently refused to be sensistive to the feeling of Nigerians".
As a way out of the logjam, Ubani urged the Federal Government to withdraw the bill as this will put a halt to the proposed rally today.
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