Labour celebrates May Day with protest rallies

The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress are jointly organising a rally on May Day, to protest labour unions’ grievances against recent government policies, especially as they affect workers.

The unions made this known at a joint symposium in Lagos on Tuesday, where the workers said this year’s May Day would not be for celebrations, as has been the case in the past two years, but a rally to protest government’s response to workers’ welfare.

Abidoun Aremu, a member of the mobilisation committee, said the rally will take place simultaneously across the 36 states and Abuja, during which workers would agree on practical alternatives to issues affecting them and suggest ways to move the people and nation forward.

Mr. Aremu disclosed that the rally will continue through the month of May beginning from May 1 to 28. He explained that after the May Day national rally, union executives would move from state to state for the state rallies, beginning with Lagos on May 5, to acquaint each state government with their grievances.

The nationwide tour will end in Abuja on May 28. Speaking on some of the issues bothering the union, he stated that the federal government’s policy on deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector would impact negatively on workers’ standard of living under the current salary structure of a N7,500 minimum wage.

Workers believe that deregulation would lead to price increases, not only of petroleum products, but also of transportation and ultimately, affect the prices of goods and services. This, Mr. Aremu argued, is the reason why workers are now asking for increase in minimum wage to N52,000.

“The last time they (political office holders) had an increase in their minimum wages it was done with over 800 percent increase. For instance, a local government councillor now earns N250,000 per month, whereas we are asking for just 15 percent increase but they have not agreed to it,” he said.

He added, “We are also calling on the government to intervene in the crises rocking the textile industry and to release the promised bailout of N70billion.”

Peter Adeyemi, president of the Non Academic Staff Union of Universities, who is also the NLC/TUC mobilisation committee chairman, said the rallies are important and necessary, as these are the only means of bringing workers together to protect their rights in the country that cared little for its workers who are in the majority.

He also pleaded with workers to go out en mass for all the slated rallies and not just that of the May Day. The rallies are part of efforts by the unions to build and strengthen workers’ unity and solidarity in the country.