Reps suspend debate on Labour bill
•Shun lobby by Ogbeh, Anenih
By Uchenna Awom
National
Assembly
Correspondent, Abuja
Temporary reprieve
came the way of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday when the House of
Representatives shunned entreaties by People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
National Chairman, Audu Ogbeh, and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Tony Anenih to
suspend debate on the contentious Trade Union Act (Amendment) Bill.
As early as 9a.m.
Ogbeh and Anenih met the PDP caucus of the House behind closed doors. Sources
at the meeting said the motive was to solicit their support for accelerated
debate and passage of the bill.
Their expectations
were dashed when at the plenary session members called for the bill to be
stepped down for a later day when the principal Act is circulated for them to
know what is there to be amended.
The Majority
Leader, Abdul Ningi, said it is very strange that this bill has generated a lot
of heat and that with so many agitations people thought the House would be
boxed into submission.
He said any
undemocratic clause in the bill would be expunged, adding that the House would
treat the bill from a democratic perspective. He said they would examine what
obtains in other democracies and the history of labour movements in other
climes.
To back up his
claims, Ningi asked if it is true that NLC is the only labour union that is all
encompassing.
“It is easier
to find out if this bill is meant to kill labour or whether there is the need
to decentralise NLC. We don’t want a situation where when labour is on
strike the whole country is in jeopardy,” he said.
There was a
disagreement when instead of aligning with the House leader, the Alliance for
Democracy (AD) Leader, Wunmi Bewaji, raised a point of order, citing order 12,
rule 3 of the House rules. He reminded members that there is no way they could
continue with debates on the bill when the members are not in possession of the
principal Act to know what the amendment is all about and why it must be
carried out.
Attempts by the
Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari, to continue with the debate failed as the
Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, admitted that the
point of order raised by Bewaji was proper. He said his committee was not able
to circulate the principal Act because it received the bill last Thursday.
He said the
principal Act would be immediately circulated to members.
Members shouted him
down, saying they were not ready to take the bill this week.
Amidst shout of
‘no, no, no, the Deputy Speaker, Austin Opara, asked the committee to
admit failure for not circulating the Act before tabling it for debate.The
speaker therefore directed that the bill be stepped down for Tuesday next week.
Reacting, Adams
Oshiomhole, who was present at the gallery said, what had happened was a
triumph of democracy, adding that the House has shown that there is hope for
the survival of democracy.
He said the issue
is not about Oshiomhole, but rather the overall defence of the people’s
right.
