The Pre May Day public symposium of the United Labour Congress (ULC) organized by the ULC Lagos Chapter held on Friday 30 April, 2018 at Air Port Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos; was a fire ball that tore the thick skin of the heavens. Agitated solidarity songs lit the hall immediately the program started at exactly 11:15am.
The symposium registered a lot of agitation from the workers, expressing the long over due of reviewing the 2011 agreement between the Federal Government and Labour of the five years Eighteenth Thousand Naira Minimum Wage signed under the former regime of President Goodluck Jonathan. In present realities, the 18000 is floating between $56 to $42, which is the poorest in the world inflation has smash pieces.
The workers were very strong on this demand most especially sizing the total collapse of the economy, which is largely responsible to the capitalistic policies of privatization former and present regimes implement. For many of the workers the Ninety Six Thousand Naira Minimum Wage is not negotiable and they are very strong and agitated on it, saying the ULC Labour centre won't turn back on this demand.
That the current inflation has made it practically impossible for workers to barely survive on the N18000 minimum wage. That for a family of Five, 18000 is worthless and stipend compare to the rise of inflation the Nigerian economy is suffering today caused by the policies of failed administrations. According to Joe Ajaero the N96000 is not negotiable as far the United Labour Congress (ULC) is concern. ULC is not turning back on this demand.
The hall was full to the brim with more than three hundred and eighty five workers both male and female. About Fifteenth affiliate unions in ULC were fully represented at the symposium. Other Pro-labour and Civil Society groups like the Democratic Socialist Movement, Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership etc were recognize in the course of the symposium to express solidarity and join in the struggle.
Interestingly, fundamental issues were raised concerning building an alternative platform from speakers like Olisa Agbakoba and Dr. Peter Omoijiade respectively. Both speakers drew the political line of putting before the United Labour Congress leadership the essence of building a political alternative and go beyond economism. That the two labour centres: ULC and NLC to unite in common interests and struggle to strengthen the labour movement in order to put in place a plan coherent society.
Meanwhile, there was no suggested alternative platform put forward by the speakers on the topic given: 2019 IN FOCUS: THE ROLE OF LABOUR IN ACHIEVING A VIVRANT DEMOCRACY FOR NIGERIA. However, the issue of the labour centres uniting was very strong to take the labour movement forward. Just like the way the DSM and SPN has always lay in its perspective, that the factions in the labour movement won't help but will further loosen the string if fail to build a political mass alternative to the rot of capitalism.
The Socialist Party of Nigeria and the Democratic Socialist Movement is in full support to both the NLC and ULC demand for a new minimum wage to be implemented by the federal government. Perhaps, without practical political struggles stage in the streets of Nigeria to win the sympathy of workers and the poor at large. The minimum wage demand will just be a lip agitation without action to hold the capitalist politicians of APC, PDP etc at their blokos".
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