NLC seeks tools to end corporate greed in Nigeria

The Nigeria Labour Congress has called for the development of tools that would end corporate greed, which has led to the impoverishment of the working class and slow improvement in the standard of living of citizens.

The President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, who stated this recently in Abuja while speaking at a two-day workshop on ‘Advancing decent work in global supply chain in Africa’ organized by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Africa, said the ills and inequalities of multinational enterprises have left scars on the people.

‎His words: “Comrades and friends, on the issue of fighting to halt and ultimately end corporate greed, we are all witnesses to the ills and iniquities of multinational enterprises. From 2007-08 when corporate greed and market rascality plunged the world into a financial and, later, harrowing economic crisis, working men and women, pensioners and communities suffered immense losses. Till date, the miseries and hardship caused by their reckless and greedy actions left have scars on people, households, communities and economies.”

While lamenting the situation that has glooming effect on the citizens, Wabba also blamed politicians for offensive concessions to businesses and providing tax havens to company executives.

“Shockingly, rather than side with their people, constituents and constituencies, politicians and governments have continued to make obscene and offensive concessions to businesses and the elites providing them tax havens to hide their criminal and corrupt wealth and loot by so doing, avoiding and dodging taxes.

“For the poor and citizens, they have rewarded them with damning, hard and biting austerity measures. Thus, living and working conditions stagnant and getting worse – the poor getting poorer, whilst the rich richer at the expense and damnation of the poor,” he explained.

The NLC boss further said the rank of the working poor, these days is expanding as the phenomenon of exploitation is crossing even to public sector where workers are owed and denied their wages for months, especially in states and local government areas.

He stressed that African trade unions have longed resolved to move away from lamentation and self-pity, adding, “we have warmly welcomed the initiative of the ITUC to aggressively drive this campaign aimed at halting and reserving corporate greed and their effects on workers, women, our communities and economies.”

On her part, the General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation, (ITUC), Sharan Burrow ‎challenged the organized labour to aggressively unionize working people in both public and private sectors for the task making life better or the working poor.