The Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC), yesterday held protest rallies across the country against the proposed Trade Union Amendment Bill, even as armed policemen sealed the national headquarters of the union (Labour House) in Abuja.
The police who arrived the NLC headquarters in trucks early in the morning, took positions and blocked major entrance to the prem-ises and kept vigil as labour officials and members conve-rged for the rally which reco-rded significant participation by the public.
Speaking at the rally, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, President of NLC, said: “The passage of the Bill cannot destroy the unity that labour has built over the years.”
Suspecting that the government intends to increase prices of petroleum prod-ucts, he said: “We will mobilise and protest any fuel hike with or without check-off dues.”
“We did it against Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in 1988 when he thought that he had destroyed labour by proscribing it and went ahead to increase fuel by 6 kobo. We protested against it then and we will do it again even better,” he promised.
He said the powers, initia-tives and commitment of org-anised labour to mobilise exceeded the power of political leaders, noting that labour was not a creation of the Nigeria state.
“The labour movement is older than the Nigerian nation. Before they began to think of forming Nigeria, Nigerian workers had already formed trade unions in 1912,” he recollected.
“What is on trial today in the name of the labour bill is Nigeria’s democratic future. The government wants Nigerians or the NLC not to opp-ose any of its policies.
“The government is angry and bitter and has reac-hed the conclusion that democracy is in danger if the Nigerian people continue to argue with their leaders,” he said,
Oshiomhole urged the National Assembly to pass laws that would benefit the people instead of sponsored bills that were anti-people.
Also speaking, the Deputy President of the NLC, Mr Abdulwaheed Umar, called on the National Assembly not to continue to inflict har-dship on the people by sign-ing executive sponsored bills into laws.
“Any democratic govern-ment must endure oppo-sition as it allows for checks and balances,” he said.
The rally which was earlier billed to hold at the premises of the National Ass-embly, later held at the Labour House.
The Clerk of the Assembly, Alhaji Ibrahim Salim, had urged the NLC to wait for the public hearing on the bill to make its inputs.
In Lagos, fierce looking security operatives manned strategic points diverting traffic from the ever busy Ikeja central business district and major roads in order to prevent the NLC from carr-ying out its proposed protests against the Labour Reform Bill.
Our correspondent, who monitored the activities of the security agents along the Awolowo road leading to the state secretariat and the former Lagos toll gate route thr-ough 7Up Bottling company to Oregun, gathered that security was tight in the area to dissuade members of the NLC from staging the protest.
Security agents were seen diverting all commercial buses, taxis and private bu-ses or cars with more than four passengers to other access routes.
The development led to many civil servants and com-muters stranded at various bus stops as buses declined plying such routes with heavy presence of police. Many staff of the state secre-tariat had to report late for work due to the development.
Though everybody went about his or her normal duties without molestation from the police, it was obv-ious that the people who hissed past them at any point did not savour their pres-ence.
Although the security operatives declined com-ments on the heavy police presence in Ikeja area, saying it was a normal security rou-tine, one of them who wished to remain anonymous, told our correspondent that security reports reaching them revealed that labour wants to cause a breach of the peace in the state.
Also, the Benue State chapter of the NLC, yest-erday joined their count-erparts in other states to protest the anti-labour Bill.
“The intention of this Bill is retrogressive dictatorial, vindictive, in bad faith and capable of tearing this cou-ntry apart,” said the state chairman, Comrade Boga Abuul, while leading over 5,000 others to protest at the Benue State House of Asse-mbly (BSHOA), complex in Makurdi.
In a statement addressed to the Speaker of the House, Hon. Mzenda Iho, the NLC called on the House to disre-gard what they called “the obnoxious and despotic Bill seeking to deregister the Nig-eria Labour Congress and all Trade Unions affiliated to it.”
The labour said the Bill was expected to kill reaso-nable opposition, which the leadership of the NLC under Adams Oshiomhole has pro-vided to Nigerians, adding that “this administration hates opposition and does not want any voice of diss-ent whether positive or negative”.
The Speaker, Hon. Mze-nda Iho, who received the protesters at the assembly complex, commended labour for their peaceful conduct and assured that he will convey their grievances to the National Assembly for consideration, while saying that “as the voice of the peo-ple, the Assembly will always act in conformity with the yearnings of the people.”
Led by the state chair-man, Comrade Abuul and secretary, Comrade Kwa-mande Kwamande, the prote-sters comprising several other bodies including Stu-dent Unions, Local Gove-rnment Staff as well as NURTW took part in the march.
In Ogun State, the NLC staged peaceful protest aga-inst the federal government’s sponsored anti-labour Bill.
The workers, led by the state chairman of the union, Comrade Wale Oduntan, held a procession to the gove-rnor’s office, Okemosen the state House of Assembly cal-ling on President Olusegun Obasanjo to “leave Nigerian workers alone.”
Armed with placards and inscriptions such as “Baba Iyabo leave NLC alone,” “NLC remains our centre” and “The voice of the peo-ple” “Say no to Obasanjo’s Bill,” the labour leaders, while addressing the NLC and members of other trade uni-ons said the Bill was vindi-ctive and an attempt to strangulate workers.
Comrade Odunta, urged members of the National Assembly to throw the issue to a public debate, adding that the right to strike, to picket and freedom of asso-ciation were entrenched in the International Labour Law, conventions 87 and 98.
As at Monday, an armoured tank was placed in front of the governor’s office with the aim of barring the labour union from gaining entrance.
However, the group, which was initially denied access to the assembly prem-ises by the police was later allowed in through the inter-vention of the speaker, Hon. Titi Oseni.
While receiving the protesters, Oseni in company of the special adviser to the governor on political affairs, Mr Solomon Oyebanjo, expressed appreciation to the NLC for making the protest non-violent.
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