RALLY! RALLY!! MASS PROTEST!!!

LABOUR & CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION (LASCO) CALLS ON NIGERIANS TO

Participate in the 3-DAYS WARNING STRIKE (November 10 -12, 2010)

Support the Demand by Labour for the immediate implementation of the N18,000 Minimum Wage without any Retrenchment

Prepare for indefinite General Strike/Mass Actions should Government failed to implement the agreed new Minimum Wage within the 3-Day of WARNING STRIKE

Support the struggle by Medical and Education workers in Lagos & South-East Nigeria for the implementation of agreements signed with ASUU-SSANU-NASU and Doctors

Struggle for SYSTEM CHANGE

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THE 3-DAY WARNING STRIKE

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in conjunction with their civil society partner – the Joint Action Forum (JAF) in Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) have called a 3-Day Warning Strike for November 10, 11 and 12, 2010 for the immediate implementation of the N18000 new minimum wage agreed with the federal government, state governments and employers of labour in the private sector.

Labour had originally demanded a new minimum wage of N52,200 since December 2008 which the government ignored. But after several protest rallies and marches organized by LASCO across the country between May 13 to October 29, 2010, the Federal Government (FG) set up the Justice Belgore Negotiating Council; which after protracted negotiations between governments’ representatives, private sector employers and the labour leadership from NLC and TUC, a new minimum wage of N18000 was finally agreed upon in April 2010.

However, despite repeated demands, including a 2-month ultimatum given by Labour in July 2010, government has unfortunately till date, refused to take concrete steps to implement the agreement.

Therefore, the blame for allowing events to come to the level of calling this strike should be put squarely on the shoulders of the governments and their anti-poor collaborators.

THIS GOVERNMENT IS INSENSITIVE!

Since the time Labour first raised this demand, government and employers have always argued and treated it as outrageous and impracticable. This attitude, if the truth must be told, goes to show the height of insensitivity of the capitalist ruling elite to the needs of the vast majority of the working and poor people. Even President Jonathan himself revealed that the agitation for the implementation of the proposed minimum wage of N18,000 will only add a paltry sum of N1,000 to the incomes of the lowest paid federal worker.

Therefore, nothing but callous insensitivity to the plight of the ordinary people is making governments at federal and state levels and private employers to be foot-dragging on the agreed N18,000 as minimum wage; while all government officials and top politicians and private companies’ managers continue to pay themselves jumbo salaries and allowances.

This is why the laboring masses and the poor in general must now rise in mass struggle/action to demonstrate their rejection of the double standard of ruling elite.

N18,000 MINIMUM WAGE IS STILL A SLAVE WAGE

LASCO URGES TOTAL SUPPORT OF THE WORKING MASSES AND THE POOR

When the real costs of living in Nigeria (feeding, accommodation health care, education, water, electricity, transportation etc.) are carefully calculated, then it becomes obvious to everybody that the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage in issue will still leave the vast majority of the working people earning slave wages.

Unfortunately however, the ruling elite and all those truly benefiting from the prevailing unjust order i.e. a state of pitiable suffering of the overwhelming majority of the population, in the midst of an inexhaustible human and natural resources, do not believe that there is something fundamentally wrong in the prevailing disorder as long as they individually have enough money to give themselves and their offspring’s the best health care and education which money can buy both home and abroad.

In order to assure the possibility of the victory in the present struggle, LASCO urges Nigerians to actively participate and support the current agitations for the implementation of a new minimum wage of N18,000, as the first step, in the struggle for a living wage for all.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT THE STRUGGLE

• LASCO calls on all labour leaders, labour activists, community activities and pro-people Nigerians to organize a strike communities in all workplaces and communities with the aim to mobilize support for the strike.
• LASCO urges the Nigerians in the neighbourhoods to join forces with the Strike Committees in the workplaces to organize rallies, demonstrations armed with sensitization materials as a means of making the struggle a fruitful one.
• Also, LASCO calls on the state governments, in particular, in Lagos and South-east Nigeria to desist from despicable habit of violating the agreements reached between unions and government nationally on the basis of dubious true federalism. Therefore, LASCO demands that the Lagos State Government should implement the national agreements on better pay, improved working condition and adequate funding of health sector; as well as those in the education sector at the tertiary level.

Issued on November 10 by the Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO)

c/o NLC Lagos Headquarters, 29 Olajunwun Street, Yaba Lagos

Although on the first of its scheduled three days the trade union leaders suspended the strike until December 5 in order to give time to the government to increase the minimum wage we are publishing this LASCO leaflet issued in Lagos for the information of activists. The DSM is part of LASCO.