ABUJA—THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) protest rally to the National Assembly was yesterday aborted by about 1,000 armed policemen, led by Mr. Lawrence Alobi, who restricted the rally to the NLC headquarters, Abuja with a warning that the full weight of the law would be visited on them if they staged the protest beyond the confines of the secretariat.
However, the Senate yesterday fixed next Tuesday for the passage of the Bill which, amongst others, aims to strip the NLC of its central role of organising trade unions in the country. Though the Bill received a mixed response at the Senate session with some senators calling for caution. Senate President, Chief Adolphus Wabara, brought an urgency to the consideration of the Bill with his ruling that the Senate Committee on Labour should return the Bill to the Senate next Tuesday. He had earlier instructed the committee to return the Bill to the Senate tomorrow, a day after today’s public hearing on the Bill.
Speaker of the House of Representatives had warned the NLC not to stage its protest in the Assembly premises. But yesterday, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) caucus in the House which dissociated itself from the directive of the House leadership resolved to meet the NLC leadership for a discussion on the bill. Deputy leader of the ANPP caucus, Mr Austin Aribge-Osula, described the action of the House leadership as “high handed.”
Two members of the House of Reps, Dr. Haruna Yerima and Uche Onyeagucha, called at the NLC secretariat to express their support for Congress, saying the directive that NLC be kept away from the Assembly premises was not a consensus decision.
Also yesterday, Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf granted the NLC leave to challenge the controversial Trade Union (Amendment) Bill which seeks to de-register the NLC and outlaw strikes in court. Though he declined an invitation by labour to issue an ex-parte order, stopping the National Assembly from further considering or passing the Bill into law, the National Assembly will hold a public hearing on the controversial trade union ammendment bill today. The International Labour Organisation headquarters in Geneva is sending an official to make a presentation to the National Assembly. Its director for Nigeria and Ghana, Mr. Cornelius Dzakpasu, is also expected to be at the public hearing today.
Addressing thousands of workers at the NLC secretariat, its president, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, warned that the passage of the bill would amount to a declaration of war on Nigerians and vowed that if the government thought that the law would stop labour from fighting oppressive government policies, it would be disappointed.
Oshiomhole said if the nation’s democracy collapsed, members of the National Assembly would lose more as most Nigerians were already down and, therefore, would not fall more than they have fallen at present. He said: “If they pass the law, they will win the war, but they will lose the battle. What is the battle? They want a country of a grave yard where nobody can talk. We are saying to them that if they want to test whether the law can destroy us, let them go and increase fuel price after they have passed the Act. We will show them by organising the mother of all strikes all over Nigeria. If they pass the bill and they increase fuel price and Nigerian workers are alive, we will under a coalition of willing partners organise the mother of all strikes in Nigerian history. We did it before and will do it again.”
Protest in Makurdi
In Makurdi, Benue State, about 1000 workers led by the state NLC chairman, Comrade Boga Abuul, trooped to the state House of Assembly where they asked legislators not to allow themselves to be deceived to support the labour Bill. Abuul described the bill as “anti-democratic,” saying: “The bill is expected to kill reasonable opposition which the leadership of NLC under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has provided to Nigerians.”
In Lagos, the civil society groups under the auspices of the Citizens’ Forum organised a symposium on the Bill during which leaders of the group vowed to resist it. The civil society groups and the Lagos NLC will hold a joint rally in Lagos to protest the bill next Tuesday.
Chairman of the Citizens Forum, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, said it was obvious that the NLC was under attack from the Obasanjo government and the civil society would not fold its arms. He said: “The prize of freedom is not cheap and if we want to keep our freedom and democratic rights, we must always be prepared to resist and fight.”
Comrade Sylvester Ejiofoh of the Amalgamated Public Service Workers Union who represented NLC president, Mr Oshiomhole, at the forum said the International Labour Convention which Nigeria ratified provided that “to review labour laws, you must use tripartism; government, employers and trade unions.” He said if labour had remained subservient, the idea of tackling with the law would not arise, adding: “Every aspect of the Bill tends to negate the ILO Conventions.”
Another speaker, Alfred Ilenre of the Ethnic Minority Rights Organisation, wondered why government would not involve labour and private employers in the review of labour laws. Mr. Abiodun Aremu, who spoke for the United Action for Democracy (UAD), said the organisation had resolved to work with other members of the civil society to resist “the attack on the labour movement.”
Senate considers the Bill
The Senate’s consideration of the Bill came despite strong pleas from the NLC president, Mr. Oshiomhole, to senators not to pass the Bill. Yesterday’s consideration of the Bill came after more than three hours of a closed session during which the lawmakers sought to harmonise positions on the Bill. As debate opened after the closed session, some senators, notably from the PDP, spoke passionately in support of the bill while a few others even while admitting the need for reforms of the labour laws, spoke against the perceived excesses of the bill.Senator Clement Awoyelu (PDP, Ekiti), Mohammed Anka (ANPP, Zamfara) and Aba Aji (ANPP, Borno) were among those who spoke in support of the bill. Senator Tawar Wada (PDP, Gombe) while admitting the need for the democratisation of the labour laws, however, spoke strongly against provisions of the Bill that gave the Minister of Labour the right to register trade unions.
Entreaties from Senator Olurunimbe Mamora (AD, Lagos East) on the need for the Senate to refrain from trampling on the rights of labour resulted in a rebuke from Senator Wabara. His warning that the Senate could be regarded as an undertaker for the government’s effort to bury labour drew strong rebuke from Senator Wabara who cautioned the Lagos senator against using uncomplimentary language in describing the activities of the Senate.While Senator Mamora drew back from the comment after the chastisement of the Senate President, Senator Omar Hambagda (ANPP, Yobe) strongly rejected the clauses against strike and compulsory deduction of union dues in the bill.Following the submissions of some other senators, Senator Wabara mandated the Senate Committee on Labour, Employemnet and Productivity which is to conduct a public hearing on the bill today to submit its report on the bill tomorrow. The instruction, however, drew strong protestations from the Committee chairman, Senator Ewa Henshaw, who subsequently agreed to make his report ready by Tuesday.
NLC gets court leave
Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf, of the Abuja High Court, speaking through his registrar, said “granted that section 4 (8) of the 1999 constitution provides for the prohibition of legislature from enacting any law which may oust the powers of the court, the intention of that provision is not to interfere with the internal affairs of the legislature.
“It appears to me, therefore, that if the request by the Nigeria Labour Congress to stop the National Assembly from further sitting or passing the bill is granted, that will amount to the judiciary arrogating to itself the powers to tele-guide the legislature in doing its work. It is not proper to interfere. This is because interfering will negate the principle of separation of powers.
“Against this background, I am only inclined to grant the first prayer which is asking for leave but I am unable to grant the second prayer which is asking that the leave be allowed to act as stay of action on the bill pending the determination of the substantive suit.”
However, the judge promised them that the matter would definitely be taken on Friday and the case was given priority over all other cases listed for hearing.
Mr. Femi Falana, newly elected president of the West African Bar Association, led three other lawyers to move the application in the presence of five representatives of the NLC.
ANPP backs rally
The deputy leader of the ANPP caucus said the party was not opposed to NLC’s rally at the National Assembly as long as it was peaceful, adding: “ I am afraid because of the people whose interest the National Assembly is serving. It may be difficult for them to genuinely want NLC to come here. What would the House leadership have to tell their leaders that they are embracing those who are against what they stand for?” he asked rhetorically.
