On behalf of Nigerian workers, it is my pleasure to be
present here to celebrate the 37th anniversary of your confederation
with you and also share ideas on the development of independent trade union
movement and the struggle for a society where justice and fairness is guaranteed
across the world of work and among the general populace.
The Nigeria Labour Congress was formed on 28th day
of February 1978, independently by over 900 unions that voluntarily came
together and restructured the unions. Though the independent effort of the
unions were eventually given legal backing and authority by the Federal
Government of Nigeria in an attempt to exert state control but the unions have
always resisted such controls by ensuring cohesion in policy and actions, which
have so far made state control impossible.
We started with 42 industrial unions affiliated to the NLC,
which was eventually reduced when government infringed on the right of custom
and excise workers to belong to trade unions and their union had to
de-affiliate from the NLC. The Academic Staff Union of Universities was also
de-affiliated following vicious attacks by the then military government of
General Ibrahim Babangida. However, the union has voluntarily re-affiliated
with the NLC.
We have been able to sustain our independence through
capacity strengthening, which we have consistently done through workers
education, research, media outreach and organizing. We have also refused to run
our centre with state funding at all levels as we run all our education, organizing,
research, collective bargaining and even administrative programmes and projects
with funds provided through membership subscriptions as well as funds from
friendly Non-Governmental Organizations that we share common beliefs and
aspirations. Our total membership strength is about six million.
The history of Nigeria can never be complete without
acknowledging the important roles played by the Nigerian trade union movement.
The movement was a leading force in the anti colonial struggles of the Nigerian
people. From 1912, when Nigeria had her first trade union until independence in
1960, the trade unions mobilized workers and their allies to consistently
battle the colonialists out of power.
As you may be aware, Nigeria groaned under prolonged military
dictatorship, which thrice truncated civil rule until 1999 when democratic
governance was returned through the consistent struggles of the Nigerian people
who fought side by side with the unions to chase the military out of power.
We were able to do these because we have a long history of a
robust relationship with our allies in the civil society groups. Beyond
economic struggles on wages and defence of workers’ rights, we have
consistently engaged the state in popular struggles on policy issues.
For instance, we have never hidden our opposition to neo
liberal socio economic policies, which are designed by the Breton Woods
institutions and forced down the throat of their stooges in under-developed and
developing countries. Since the early 80s, we have consistently opposed these
policies, particularly the so called Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP,
which we fought against alongside students, artisans, women and the teaming
unemployed populace. We are able to do these because of the strong alliance
between us and conscious organizations among civil society groups. Recently, in
2004 we collectively agreed with the pro people section of civil society groups
to form the Labour and Civil Society Coalition, LASCO. There are three arms of
LASCO – the trade union side includes the NLC and the Trade Union Congress of
Nigeria, while the civil society arm is the Joint Action Front, which has over
100 organisations spread across Nigeria. Though we are yet to formalize the
structure, but since its formation, LASCO has always been in the forefront of
all our national protests, particularly on deregulation of the petroleum
sector, electoral reforms, anti corruption etc.
We believe historically, that we have common issues with our
allies and together we must fight against our collective deprivations and infringements.
This way, we will make state attacks difficult.
As a labour centre, we have decided since the exit of the
military from government in Nigeria that we must do everything possible to
deepen democracy in our country. When we look back at our country’s history, we
found the military guilty of contributing largely to our underdevelopment. And
we have resolved never to allow military dictatorship or any form of
dictatorship in our country. The people must count if we must make progress as
a country and the Nigeria Labour Congress will do everything possible to
tirelessly mobilize the entire populace to consistently promote and defend
democracy. No country in the world has an option yet to democratic rule and we
have tasted the worst of military dictatorship in contemporary history.
Dictatorship in every form whether under military government or civilian breeds
corruption; infrastructural decay; economic retardation; socio political
instability and abuse of fundamental human rights. We will resist all these in
our country.
Beyond building alliances at home, we have also extended our
alliances abroad starting with the West African region. We have engaged our
counterparts in the Ghana Trade Union Congress on several issues of common interests
using the platform provided by our bilateral agreement. We also have a
bilateral agreement with the Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU.
And now, we have succeeded in having a trilateral agreement with COSATU, GTUC
and the NLC. This has strengthened our collective voice in the African
continent.
We decided to have these agreements because it has become
very obvious that capital has formidable multinational focus and interest. With
the advent of globalization, big business has developed transnational networks
to attack trade union rights coupled with the overbearing influence they exert
on our various governments.
We must also, as trade unions, be able to use these bilateral
relationships to collectively mobilize progressive voices in continental and
regional bodies such as the African Union, the Economic Community of West
African States, and the European Union to take positive decisions on decent
work, trade union rights as well as all other issues relating to workers rights
especially at Export Processing Zones, which is a major component of
globalization.
Comrades, we need to intensify our alliances, beyond the
global trade union federations if we must succeed in confronting the challenges
of globalization and the threat to trade union and workers’ rights across the
globe.
We are prepared to work with our comrades in HAK-IS, your
labour centre, to share experiences and break our common obstacles in our
countries and across the globe. We are indeed prepared to have a formal
bilateral agreement with you to ensure the success of our partnership, an offer
you made and which we have genuinely accepted. Both centres can commence the
bilateral process immediately.
Once again, on behalf of Nigerian workers I congratulate you
on the 37th foundation anniversary of HAK-IS, the second largest
labour centre in Turkey.
Thank you for your attention.
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