Drumbeat of industrial actions
Industrial actions have grown in Nigeria to become a seated phenomenon in the character of political and labour contention within the Country. The struggles by Labour unions have over time lasted with reoccurring subjects which have been left unaddressed. The narratives become more troublesome with the centrality of the sectors from where these strike actions exhume from time to time. The thought of the critical necessity of the sectors where industrial actions have become a norm, speaks ill against the desideratum of stability of operations which is highly demanded for sustained development. The grounds often sparking these incessant courses of industrial actions have largely layed on the failure of government to, in most instances, fulfill promises made with regard to the demands of the aggrieved parties who under unionist canopy convey their actions in contest against matters largely borne by unfavourable working conditions.
The overstretched strike of the Doctors under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has not lingered without leaving unsavoury narratives behind. The Doctors who commenced their industrial action since the 2nd of August, 2021, has remained resolute not to call off the strike until they see their demands met by the Government. Attempts to court to secure an order compelling the health professionals back to work have not yielded the desired results, neither have government’s advances been crafted so alluring to pacify the health workers this time. It is now apparent the body have become so acquainted with the modus operandi of the Government and is hell bent on sticking firmly to the ground of having their demands met before moving to work. Disagreements between the body of Doctors and the Government have continued to take course as irreconcilable differences keep taking heady dimensions as the offers of the later appear to be unsatisfying to the former. In August, NARD had in decline to proposals of the Government, chosen to steer clear from signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), while insisting on sustaining the status quo of the strike until their demands were met
While industrial actions continue to zoom from the health sector with the unpleasant narratives of instability, the drumbeats of similar disgruntling of unmet demands in the education sector, particularly from the echelons of higher academic institutions, have not ceased from zooming forth. Red flags of possible recourse to industrial actions recently began to show forth with lamentations over failure on the part of government to honour long term agreements. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had early September lamented that only two of its eight demands have so far been met by the Federal Government in the last nine months, after it called off a nine month old strike in December, 2020.
It would be recalled that ASUU had on 23rd December, 2020, following a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) reached between the Union and the Federal Government, called off the lingered strike which left the sector in shambles. At a briefing to declare the Union’s resolve, ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, had then warned that the Union would return back to strike in any case of breach of the Agreements reached.
Against this backdrop, revelations came early September with grievances from the Union that majority of the demands have not been honoured. The Ibadan Zone of the Union had made this known in a statement after its meeting last week at the Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso chaired by its Coordinator in LAUTECH, Prof. Oyebamiji Oyegoke. Others in attendance were: the Chairpersons from University of Ibadan, Prof. Ayo Akinwole; UNILORIN, Prof. Moyosore Ajao; LAUTECH, Dr Biodun Olaniran and KWASU, Dr Shehu Salau. The Coordinator, Oyegoke, following the meeting had in the statement threatened that strike was “a ticking bomb”, expressing the possibilities that the educational system would be engulfed in another crisis. According to him, issues on proliferation of State universities, release of withheld salaries and non-remittance of check-off dues of Unions, which were all contained in the December 22, 2020 MoA have not been addressed. On the subject of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) versus University Transparency Account System (UTAS), he had explained that withholding salaries for months, non-release of the earned academic allowances (EAA), non-payment of check-off dues accruing to the Union, in spite of what ASUU has demonstrated, could only be an invitation to another possible cycle of industrial actions.
As the drumbeats of industrial actions continue to resound with war tone, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Universities’ Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) have linked the persistent industrial actions in the Country to the non-implementation of agreements by the Government. The General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, who stated this to newsmen on Sunday, in Abuja, lamented the breaches of agreements reached with Unions in research institutions 10 years ago. Slamming the Government for signing agreements only to end strikes without any intention of fulfilling the terms of those agreements, he was quoted: “We have had to contend with the problem of government and employers of labour in our country abdicating their responsibility and refusing to honour signed agreements. It seems, to a large extent, that such actions are nothing, but a fire brigade approach on the part of the Federal Government to get striking workers back to work. They sign these MoUs and MoAs, when they know, they are not going to do anything to address the grievances of the Unions. I am not sure the Federal Government even knows the number of MoUs and MoAs they have signed in recent times.
“Incidentally even when timelines are attached to these agreements, it does not serve as a motivation to do anything. We have had agreements where timelines of six weeks were agreed upon. But nothing happen after six months and even six years. This shows clearly that the Federal Government willingly enters into agreements knowing fully well it is not committed to doing anything.”
In his own grievance, President of SSAUTHRIAI, Mr Akintola Benjamin, while reacting to the contentious issues, said that the Federal Government had shown lack lustre attitude to honouring signed agreements. He stated that the recent 15-day ultimatum, which was issued based on certain demands made on 10th September, was due to expire on September 27 (Monday), and the Federal Government is yet to respond to it.
The drumbeat of industrial actions in the Country have become an albatross, the reflective impacts of which pose stains of instabilities hostile to sustained and measurable development. It is saddening that such vital institutions as education and health sectors are being left to suffer such inconsistencies by acts of insolence which appear counterproductive to socio-economic development. It is inarguable that the reality of the quest of development can only take course under consistency of coordinated efforts directed strategically with little or no waves of instabilities. The prevailing situation of incessant strikes and drumbeats of industrial actions are inconsistent with the desideratum of appreciable development.
The need for the Government to bring an end to the era of infidel posture of breaching agreements signed with Labour unions as a crash instrument to end strikes, while failing to honour same have only triggered more heady showdown and multiplicity of industrial actions and grievance threats which by way of lack of motivation for workers have continued to dampened the course of sectoral motivation. The backwardness of socio-economic conditions in the Country is unsavoury. The need for deliberate change in narrative is non negotiable. It is hence, paramount for the Government to retrack the norm of breaches in promises which have been the bases of industrial instabilities in the Country.
