Labour, Govt Bicker Over Dividends Of Democracy

NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has scored the Federal Government low on job creation and that for those in employment, job security is an issue. However, the Minister of Information and Communication, Mr Labaran Maku, disagrees. He said the Jonathan administration is doing well. 

DUPE OLAOYE-OSINKOLU reports.

Union leaders have lamented the loss of jobs and the government’s inability to create new ones.
The President, National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather And Non Mettalic Products
Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), Comrade Boniface Isok, recalled how epileptic power supply killed many businesses.

For example, this compelled the relocation of Michelin Tyre and Dunlop Tyre from Nigeria to South Africa and Ghana, he said.

The relocation of these companies erased jobs, he said. He said the greatest challenge for the nation’s democracy is unemployment. He lamented the continued loss of jobs in the chemical sector, which has made his union lose many members.

In their own assessment of democracy, civil servants under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), spoke through their Secretary-General, Comrade Bashir Alade Lawal. They said the greatest challenge of democracy is the refusal of the ruling elite to play according to the rules.

“The culture of impunity persists and the workers are not seen and regarded as one of the social partners that have a significant role to play in moving the country forward. Engaging government on issues affecting workers is becoming very difficult as our rulers feel reluctant to come to the negotiating table. They see themselves as sole proprietor of our common patrimony and anybody outside the clique, a stranger that should be kept at bay. That explains why most of the problems bedevilling the country are defying solutions,” said ASCSN.

The President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Babatunde Ogun, said the greatest challenge of democracy is lack of its understanding by the political class. He said this is why many of them give in to greed and corruption.

“Our nation is bedevilled with corruption and selfishness. Lack of unity within the rank and files. This has greatly affected governance, our legislators have not paid any attention to decent work tenets that can protect all workers but interested only in how to remain in office and make more money, labour has not gained much under the so called democracy and our legal systems. The oil and gas sector has done quite well, but lack of policy and political intrigues and policy cum agreement summersault has not allowed the industry to attain the desired result,” he said.

The Minister of Information and Communication, Labaran Maku, however, disagreed with the labour leaders. He said the programme of the Transformation Agenda of Mr President is targeted at job creation, the economic environment and also social activities to create job for the youths and women.

“Mr President has taken the bull by the horn. We believe that for our country to develop, we must create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths. The programme of the Transformation
Agenda of Mr President is targeted at job creation the economic environment and also social activities to create job for the youths and women.

“In the first phase of the Community Services Women and Youth Employment Project, we have over 3,400 women and youths who were formerly unemployed but are now gainfully employed by the scheme with additional 2,000 more to join within the next few months and this is not going on in Delta State alone, but in all the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory. In the past 15 to 20 years, no government has been able to do this on a sustainable base. Now we have a president that is determined to tackle the challenges of unemployment.

“This programme is also designed to solve problems at the community level, the community is also benefiting from the programme through community services, such as tree planting, traffic control, street cleaning and sanitation, among others.

Also, the Labour Minister, Chief Emeka Wogu, also said the government has delivered on it promises. “In January 2011, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan promised to alleviate the impact of the fall out of the partial removal of fuel subsidy, he has fulfilled these promises. Evidence before us today confirm that he has done so through the Community Service, Women and Youth Employment (CSWYE) Project, one of the project components under the Social Safety Net Programme (SSNP), which is just one out of the eight programmes under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Government,” he said.



Source: The Nation