Bankole urges re-think
From Collins Olayinka, and John Abba-Ogbodo
IN a bid to ensure that its planned mass rallies aimed at putting pressure on government to back-pedal on the deregulation, minimum wage and implementation of the Uwais panel report, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has written prominent Nigerians soliciting their understanding on the matter.
But the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, who is one of those who got the Labour's letter, has appealed to the union to shelve the rallies.
Letters, which were obtained in Abuja yesterday by The Guardian, revealed that the congress believed the letters could serve as an added pressure on government to reverse itself on the vexed matters.
Among those written were the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar, Senate President, David Mark and Dimeji Bankole.
In the letter signed by the General Secretary of the Congress, John Odah, to Senator Mark, the NLC wondered why the government of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was finding it difficult to implement the recommendations of the Mantu committee report which listed veritable ways out of the deregulation of the petroleum industry.
The letter reads in part: "For us in the Labour movement, we support the Senator Ibrahim Mantu committee's report and further assert that the solution lies in government having the political will to decisively check leakages in the downstream sector of the oil industry, honestly fixing the refineries and building new ones. The chain effect prices of petroleum products have on other commodities and services makes it imperative that the products must be available at moderate cost to the average Nigerian."
The central Labour union said that the mass rallies are also informed by the refusal of government to review minimum wage, which it said, is about the lowest in the West African sub-region.
The NLC told the Senate President to use his good office to "join in efforts to put pressure on government to see the need to reverse itself on these disagreeable policies. Our hope is that with your intervention, government would retrace its steps on these to avert escalation of the crisis."
It, therefore, requested for an audience with the Senate President on Thursday for formal presentation of its grievances.
In a similar letter to Most Rev. John Onaiyekan, NLC said as a patriot who has over the years identified with the struggle of workers and the Nigerian people, Onaiyekan can use his position as a religious leader to prevail on government to have a re-think over policies that are perceived to be anti-workers.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bankole has however appealed to the NLC to shelve the mass rallies scheduled for this week, assuring that the Federal Government would address the issues raised by the workers.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Speaker on Communications, Kayode Odunaro, Bankole said the appeal became necessary in view of the various challenges facing the government at the moment.
The Speaker also pointed out that the current global economic crisis showed the need to make sacrifice, assuring that the administration President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua would address the issues raised.
"As the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) prepares for mass rallies this week in pursuit of its demands on workers welfare, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Speaker Bankole has called on the leadership of NLC to reconsider the action in view of the various challenges facing the Federal Government," the statement read.
While appealing to the NLC to further exercise patience considering the global economic meltdown and the challenges it poses to government socio-economic policy, Bankole said he is sure the Federal Government is committed to addressing the demands of the workers as it has set up a committee to look into the demands.
Bankole further said that the action of the House recently by working expeditiously on a bill seeking better conditions of service for Nigerian workers was an indication that the workers plight had started receiving positive attention. The Speaker also advised that workers should not act in any way that would suggest that they are being used to fight the government.
The Speaker added that only recently, the House's concern for the welfare and commensurate remuneration of workers led to the expeditious consideration of a member's Bill for a new minimum wage which has pass the second reading stage preparatory to its passage into law.
Bankole reiterated that the House of Representatives in its legislative functions would continue to work not only in the interest of workers but also the generality of Nigerians on whose mandate they were elected', the statement added.
Workers at the May Day rally held recently in Abuja insisted that their request for a minimum wage of N52,000 per month must be met by the Federal Government.
