Labour Bill: Oshiomole, Falana Caution Presidency, N/A
By Gbeyega Akinsanni
Counsel to Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Chief Femi Falana and President of the Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiohmole have cautioned President Olusegun Obasanjo and members of the National Assembly to restrain from being unjust and unfair while delibrating on the proposed labour bill, primarily meant to decentralize labour union in the country.
Speaking to the newsmen at Lagos Court of Appeal, Falana faulted the bill on the ground that it was devoid of legal and constitutional backing as far as Section 40 of the1999 Constitution of Nigeria was concerned, which guaranteed the right to freedom of association to all Nigerians.
He emphasized that the move was contrary to Convention 87 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which provides that "the government of any country has no right or power to interfere in the affair of labour organisation."
"Nigeria is member of ILO and by virtue of Convention 87, there is no reason the government, be it federal or state, should interfere with any matter involving labour organisation in a way and manner the organized workers have chosen to organize themselves.
"The bill in its entirety contravenes the right to freedom of association embedded and guaranteed by Section 40 of the Constitution of Nigeria.
"The Supreme Court of Nigeria has said in a case between Alhaji Balarabe Musa and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that no guidelines, law or directives can be permitted to interfere with the right of Nigerians to organise themselves for the purpose of protecting their interest", he explained.
Falana said the level of mobilisation had shown that the discriminating and dissenting labour bill would not be allowed to be passed into law. "We are reasonably confident about that the bill will not be passed at all" he said.
Reacting to the arbitrary use of power by the President, Falana said if the bill was, by any means, passed into law, the decision of both presidency and National Assembly would be contested and challenged in the court, adding that the entire Nigerian workers would be mobilized for mass protest against such an unhealthy decision.
While describing the bill as anti-labour, anti-demcracy and anti-masses, Falana said Obasanjo had imported Western policies into the country on the advice of Bretton Woods Institutions and Western leaders without considering whether the policies would thrive in Nigerian environment.
He stated that he considered NLC as the only civil organization in the country opposing his policies and decisions. He added that the NLC resolved to protect the interest of the masses in general, saying that "Obasanjo has determined to use the proposed labour bill as an instrument to render it toothless and moribund".
Also, Oshiohmole explained that Obasanjo initiated the labour bill in order to emasculate the congress, being the major civil organisation opposing the incessant and indiscriminate hike in the prices of petroleum products.
He said "the decision of National Assembly on the bill will show how subservient members of both Senate and House of Representatives are to the presidency because the bill is a total aberration from the provision of the Constitution of Nigeria."
"The position of President Obasanjo that NLC should only concentrate on the issue bothering on the wages and salaries of Nigerian workers is biased and wrong. The congress is meant to address any government policy or decision, which may affect the Nigerian labour negatively", he added.
Responding to a statement credited to Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opara that the lower House would support the bill, Oshiohmole said it was a surprise that a man of his calibre could utter such a statement having known that there was no justification for any government to interfere with the affairs of labour organisation.
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