TUC seeks stronger movement on reconciliation of NLC, ULC

As NASU lauds, seeks unification of centres

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), has called for a stronger and united labour movement that would help redirect the ship of the country. Noting that Nigeria is already faced with many challenges that required a united labour movement to address, they recalled how difficult it has been to actualise the new minimum wage due to the schism in the movement.
 
The expectation came as a result of the recent reconciliation between the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and United Labour Congress (ULC), thereby shelving a five-year disagreement that arose from the 10th National Delegates Conference of Congress in 2015.
 
This comes as the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), believes the unification of the unions would reposition labour movement to resist anti-workers’ policies. The TUC said the ability of the centres to resolve the impasse is a testimony that the labour movement knows its onions, and can always handle its internal crisis with maturity no matter how long the issue at stake has lasted.

On his part, the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, who lauded the reunification in an interview with The Guardian in Abuja, added that the next move is the complete amalgamation of the existing two labour centres.  

Adeyemi said: “Prior to the balkanisation of the trade centre, you find that the NLC was stronger even under the military government before the birth of TUC, and recently ULC, if we want to be honest with ourselves. So, we need to go back to the drawing board and be honest to ourselves. We are weak because of this fragmentation; that is the truth. We must work to ensure that everybody is brought on board.”
   
He noted that the parties in dispute had resisted the merger, “because they didn’t want to lose titles and influence. This has led to many unions unable to pay rents and pay staff salaries.

The unions need reengineering; the secretariats of industrial unions are collapsing and there is a need to strengthen the industrial unions to make them strong.

Adeyemi also opined that the movement must checkmate the emergence of power grabbers within its fold, to build a virile, strong and insoluble labour centre.

“One may not be able to completely checkmate destructive ambitions of office seekers but it can be reduced. A lot of transparency is needed to reduce people’s ambitions. As long as trade unionists do not know that there is value in transparency, and for as long as the offices of the trade unions become so lucrative and turn into bazaars for the highest bidders, there cannot be peace in the movement,” he added.

As the African Region President of Public Service International (PSI), Adeyemi also urged African labour unions to believe in the principles and objectives of the organisations they lead, and work towards improving what they inherited.

He said: “Labour activism is not about what you get; it is about what you give. Capitalists are uniting everywhere in the world; workers also have to unite. For me, we have to come together so that we can be a formidable force to confront the bourgeoisies in government. Until labour speaks with one indivisible voice, we will not get to the promised land.”