This was made known in a statement issued during the 13th national delegates conference (NDC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday. The event holding at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, continues on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
The Joint Action Front (JAF) has said Nigerian workers have suffered all kinds of injustice in the last eight years without any meaningful response from the labour movement.
This was made known in a statement issued during the 13th national delegates conference (NDC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday. The event holding at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, continues on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
JAF noted that it's time for a radical and class conscious labour leadership to defend the collective interest of Nigerian workers and oppressed masses and to intensify the struggle for system change.
The group asserted that the fortunes of the labour movement have dwindled considerably, especially with regards to the fulfillment of its mandate of consistent defence of the class interests of workers and the oppressed masses in general.
JAF said under the last eight years of the outgoing government of President Muhammadu Buhari, the NLC has shirked its responsibility, failing in many instances to provide bold leadership amid the struggles of Nigerian workers, youth and oppressed masses while only issuing statements and threats it rarely followed through.
The pro-labour organization said, “THE GLORIOUS DAYS: For the most part, the NLC served meritoriously as the defender of the industrial and economic interest of Nigerian workers and the oppressed masses. The NLC and its allies also played crucial roles in the anti-military struggles and clamour for civil rule in the 90s.
"For the most part, the NLC served meritoriously as the defender of the industrial and economic interest of Nigerian workers and the oppressed masses.
"The NLC and its allies also played roles in the struggle against World Bank/IMF dictated anti-poor economic agenda and anti-military struggles and clamour for civil rule in the 80s/90s. Following the enthronement of civil rule in 1999, the NLC also played important roles in the mass mobilization of the workers, youth and oppressed masses against the anti-poor policies of the Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan governments especially such policies like fuel price hike, deregulation and privatization. This was a time when ‘if NLC sneezes, the occupant of Aso Rock would catch cold!’
"Regrettably in the last one decade at least, any conscientious observer of the situation in Nigeria will agree with us that the fortunes of the labour movement have dwindled considerably especially with regards to the fulfillment of its mandate of consistent defense of the class interests of workers and the oppressed masses in general.
"Especially in the last eight years of the outgoing government of President Muhammadu Buhari, the NLC has shirked its responsibility, failing in many instances to provide bold leadership to the struggles of Nigerian workers, youth and oppressed masses while only issuing statements and threats it rarely followed through.
"As a result, Nigerian workers have suffered all kinds of injustice in the last eight years without any real response from the labour movement. For instance, the share of Nigerian workers out of national production output has plummeted with the value of the N30, 000 minimum wage no more than the value of wage in the 1980s or less.”
The pro-labour group said the labour leadership failed to offer “stout resistance to the brutally anti-worker and anti-poor economic and social policies of the outgoing Buhari government that has contributed to the current situation whereby the government just imposes any criminal policy that suits its fancy”.
It added, "We want to change that system and replace it with a system where the working people and the millions of people who are sufferings under the system of exploitation will win power and ensure that the wealth of Nigeria is used to ensure a good life for the majority of the people who are now exploited and oppressed.
"System change is not replacing one exploiter’s government by another exploiter’s government. It is replacing an exploiter’s government by a people’s government to reorganise Nigeria and put an end to exploitation and oppression!
