Before the resumption hour of 8:00am industrial workers of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the affiliate groups in the Joint Action Front (JAF) in the very hour of 5am Monday 9 July, 2018 picket MTN Telecommunication Shopping Plaza at Falamo-Ikoyi, Lagos.
Different affiliate of the NLC like the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees (NUPTE), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Nigerian Construction Workers Unions etc were all at the picket line.
The workers in their hundreds were all in the Picket Line to enforce the evacuation of all the MTN management from the building and equally to stop all operations of MTN business from operating. The whole MTN building were occupied by the industrial unions of NLC. In short, non of the MTN management were allow to drive into the premises.
Majority of the placards and also the banners states the obvious against the victimization of workers, MTN Telecommunication company had embarked upon since the privatization of Nigerian Telecommunication (NITEL) by the then Obasanja PDP capitalist regime. MTN, Airtel, Glo network, 9mobile etc are profiting hugely from the privatization of NITEL.
More than Eighty Five Percent cent of the work force in MTN were all casuals. According to the information gathered, it was said that in every three (3) months of employment, the company will sack and re-employ again. This has been the philosophy of MTN since NITEL was privatized. Through this, MTN has continue to massively maintain the casualization of workers to increase the ratio of their profit.
The Ayuba Wabah NLC leadership while addressing workers and the press said. MTN has being the worst employer of labour. For more than fifteenth years MTN had been operating in Nigeria. MTN has refused to allow workers to form a union. They have successfully carried out one form of victimization or the other against the workers. For NLC is anti-worker, in fact, it is worst for any company to deny workers this, importantly the issue of Collective Bargaining.
It was also gathered that the picketing of MTN office is a nationwide action which lasted for three days. Prior before now, National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employer (NUPTE) members had made effort to discuss related matter concerning the issue of the living conditions of workers with MTN management but it all fell on dead soil. This, according to Ayuba prompt why we in NLC and TUC have to embarked on this picketing.
Other leaders of both the NLC and TUC in the persons of Peter Ozoeso (General Secretary, NLC), Adeyanju (MWUN, Apapa), Ibrahim Kalil (NULGE), Abiodun Aremu (JAF) etc all spoke concerning the ongoing victimization of workers MTN a multi-national is into. Outside the fundamental slogan that pounded MTN premises which are an end to modern slavery, against the victimization of workers etc. The issue of "xenaphobia" was re-echoed silently among some of the NURTW members.
However, it was politically guided against by the way and manner the picketing went and also conducted to peacefully shutdown all operations of MTN for the day. Immediately after the speeches were given and the whole of MTN building were occupied by workers. A protest marched to the MTN management quarter in the same Falamo took effect. Majority of the policemen and women also sympathize with the Picket Line.
The picketing continue till Wednesday (11/7/2018) this time at Berger/Kirikiri, Lagos, where MTN office is also situated. Hundreds of workers were at the picket line from different unions. Members of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and Campaign for Democratic Workers Rights (CDWR) were fully on ground and participated in all three days of the picketing. 14 Copies of the SD and 4 DSM July publication were sold.
Meanwhile, as much as this is a huge step in the ocean NLC paddles. The DSM and CDWR want to use this opportunity to say that the Nigerian Labour Congress, the United Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress should unite in interest in respective of whatever differences. To fundamentally come together and use this laid opportunity to declare for a day of action against the government privatization exercise sustain by the Buhari led APC administration.
DSM is also of the view that the time to declare for a warning strike over the long silence of implementing a new minimum wage that has stayed so cold in the wardrobe. Whether is N65000 or N96000 the NLC and ULC are putting forward as proposed figure. Without organizing for a day of action to force the Buhari led APC capitalist regime to signed for a new minimum wage, nothing fundamental would happen. It is only through this action that something can be effected and for a socialist change.
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Copyright @Fidel Davy
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