The Vice-President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Issa Aremu, in this interview with Success Nwogu, speaks on sundry national issues
Do you think the Nigerian workers have fared well under the current administration of President Goodluck Jonathan?
In 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan signed a new National Minimum Wage of N18,000 per month, following the agitation by the Nigeria Labour Congress and after a year-long national collective bargaining between the federal and state governments, as well as private-sector employers and the organised labour.
The late President Umaru Yar’Adua commendably inaugurated the tripartite committee in July 2008. The committee ended its meeting in July 2009 after extensive collective bargaining among all stakeholders. The President commendably signed the Minimum Wage Act despite the opposition of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum led by Governor Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers State. As a matter of fact, only Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State supported the President in the passage of the act.
To this extent, President Jonathan kept faith with the spirit of collective bargaining, with respect to the minimum wage. It is also commendable that the Federal Government and its agencies have implemented the act.
There are also two progressive labour laws that would be credited to this administration. They are Employee’s Compensation Act 2010 and the Pension Reform Act of 2014. The new amendments of the Pension Act, if implemented, would enhance the existing contributory pension scheme and the coverage would include millions of informal sector workers.
In 2010, there was a week-long mass national protest led by the organised labour over increase in pump price. This administration has also respected the spirit of that agreement. We have not witnessed another fuel price increase since then. But also note that beyond these acknowledged achievements, this administration has also witnessed series of industrial action in the universities (the education sector), the health sector and the judiciary, among others. I think Nigerian workers can be better off, if governments at all levels respect collective agreements freely entered into with the organised labour. Most strikes are preventable and avoidable once collective agreements are respected.
How far has the NLC gotten with the agitation for the implementation of minimum wage?
Getting an act passed is one thing, its implementation is another. I have told you that the Federal Government has kept faith to implement the act. Many private-sector employers have also been compelled to implement the minimum wage by private-sector trade unions. Many state governments have also respected the agreements. But there are few anti-minimum-wage state governors such as Governor David Jang of Plateau State. No wonder Plateau State was grounded for months with protracted strikes. Happily, the workers and unions are engaging governments that disregard the rule of law with respect to the Minimum Wage Act.
The point cannot be overemphasised; good governments must motivate the labour force for better productivity. We must ensure workers are paid well and on time. It should be noted that delay of salary for whatever reasons, including delayed payment of minimum wage, is the same as wage theft. The recalcitrant governors must know that the subsisting national minimum wage is due for review next year. The 2010 National Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, headed by Justice S.M.A Belgore (GCON), recommended that to avoid an ad hoc approach, the minimum wage is supposed to be reviewed every five years against the backdrop of increasing costs of living and deepening poverty of working people.
The review is due next year. The idea of periodic review is to avoid high increases that often characterised 10-year periods of stagnation. In some countries, minimum wages are adjusted almost every year to reflect the cost of living. Some countries have wage indexation according to which minimum wages are adjusted automatically to the rate of inflation.
Many of the governors have said they can’t pay the minimum wage. Do you think there is sincerity in that admission?
I think we have long crossed that bridge. Governors must respect the laws of the Federation. The National Minimum Wage Act of 2010 is an act by the National Assembly. Second, the negotiation lasted one year. The state governments were also part of the negotiation. You also remember that the labour demand was N50,000. It was a compromise to agree to N18,000. No employer, including the state governments, has any excuse to flout it. Some of these governors should get their priorities right; (they should) stop wasting or spending on executive indulgences such as private jets. They must also fulfil their obligations to their workers.
How much do you think the ongoing insurgency in the North-East has affected economic activities in that region?
You cannot talk about economic activities when there are no human activities. We must urgently put an end to this insurgency. You also cannot industrialise in an atmosphere of violence and war. I commend the security forces on the fight against insurgency. However, security goes beyond this. We also need assurance that the police and the Army will not be used to intimidate the citizens. We, therefore, condemn the recent misbehaviour of (an Assistant Inspector-General of Police) Mr. Matthew Mbu who arbitrarily detained a journalist in Abuja over simple exercise of his freedom of expression. Mbu should respect the police code of conduct or resign from the Nigeria Police. Nigerians fought for democracy to get liberty to pursue happiness, not to be assaulted by police officers who draw their salaries from taxpayers’ money.
What are the implications of high rate of unemployment to labour and the economy of Nigeria?
There are a lot of implications. Unemployment reduces national productivity. If more people are employed or gainfully engaged, there will be an increase in national productivity. We must not also forget the adage: ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ When more youths are engaged, there would be less insecurity, hooliganism, thuggery, kidnapping and other violent crimes. The engaged people will concentrate more on their jobs and how to improve their productivity and welfare than being lured into becoming agents of societal and self-destruction.
We must understand too that all factors of production are critical to development. In particular, technology can provide more efficient production methods like machines and computers. Capital and finance are also significant for states that are being run on debts and bonds. But, it is the human resources, and skilled labour in particular, that are most critical to manage these other resources to improve the quantity and quality of production and quality of life.
Indeed, it can be argued that where critical human resources are lacking in quality, other factors of production can hardly add value to development. States can borrow billions of naira, as most states do, but the human managers might divert the funds for the indulgence of the leaders, such as buying private jets, rather than improving the basics like potable water and good roads.
What happens to Nigeria’s 170 million human resources is as important as what happens to 2.5 million barrels per day. It is certainly a scandal that we are losing as many as 900,000 barrels of crude oil to theft. This is unacceptable for a nation with almost 200,000 military personnel and an Army that is ranked as the 4th in Africa and 34th in the world.
But even more scandalous is the tragic fact that, according to the New York Times, “America is stealing the world’s doctors,” including many Nigerian doctors. According to the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, a recent research has revealed that more than 5,000 Nigeria-trained medical doctors are currently practicing in the United States of America.
Currently, Nigeria has only 600 paediatricians to care for its over 40 million children, compared to the United Kingdom’s over 5,000 paediatricians for 20 million children. Why must we export doctors when we lack them at home? The point I am driving at is that Nigerians must be moved by crude oil theft no less than we must be alarmed at the pillage of our scarce human resources. Labour matters must be taken more seriously by the different tiers of government, if we must advance.
Should labour be on the exclusive, concurrent or the residual list?
Labour must be on the Exclusive List of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria just like other factors of production like capital and land.
How should the nation tackle unemployment?
Nigeria must grow the real sector of the economy. It should revive the labour-intensive industries to create mass jobs. I commend President Goodluck Jonathan the new National Industrial Revolution Plan. The new Automotive Industrial Policy is also commendable.
If fully implemented, many car manufacturing plants can spring up to create sustainable industrial jobs. It is sad that many of our children had a B.A, M.D. or Ph.D. But, unfortunately, they don’t have a J.O.B — I mean, they are not employed; they do not have jobs. We must reinvent the real sector of the economy, revive labour intensive industries and get the army of unemployed working.
Will this also dovetail into improved national productivity?
Yes, it certainly will. We must improve on the nation’s productivity. In 1958, the late Sir Ahmadu Bello said, “My motto for the newborn North is ‘Work and worship.’”
We should not consume what we did not produce. We should stop exporting what we should add value to. The most precious input factor in productivity is time and time management. We parade the highest number of public holidays on earth. Some of these holidays legitimise idleness rather than promote decent work with respect to rest.
How on earth do you declare a free working day to ‘mark’ Democracy Day; a day arbitrarily chosen by one man in office that could even fall on a Monday? Why would children not be in schools on a Monday in the name of democracy?
To deepen and defend democracy, we must work and read, and not just idle away. Anti-democratic forces are at work only when we are asleep and slumber in ignorance. Nigeria works eight hours five days a week. But on the average, other 19 countries in our preferred club of the 20 most developed countries work longer hours, six days a week. Out of the 365 days in a year, Nigeria is at rest for about 120 days. Out of the official eight hours, some even resume unofficially at 10am, set out to do some unofficial chores such as school (children) runs by noon, only to unofficially close office at about 3pm. ostensibly to beat the traffic. Such should be discouraged and work culture should be encouraged.
It is also important that we pursue skill acquisition. We must implement the resolutions of the National Conference on skill acquisition for the unemployed so that they can be employable.
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