2025 MAY DAY: CDWR FELICITATES WITH WORKERS IN NIGERIA AND GLOBALLY

CALLS ON WORKERS AND ACTIVISTS TO UNITE IN BUILDING A DEMOCRATIC AND FIGHTING TRADE UNION MOVEMENT

The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) felicitates with workers in Nigeria and globally on this year’s May Day.

Workers’ Day (May Day) is historically a day of reflection of the past struggles and how the trade union movement should be strengthened to continue defending the interest and rights of workers and the poor masses. Unfortunately, May Day celebration in Nigeria has become largely a state-sponsored jamboree lacking in agitation and working class demands.

There is a lot that the labour leaders should be fighting for in fulfillment of their responsibilities towards workers, but which they have abandoned.

For instance, there is the growing and widespread menace of casualisation, outsourced employment and other precarious working conditions. Labour leaders have not only failed to resist these anti-labour policies but also some pro-management rightwing labour leaders are in league with management and the state in setting up outsourced companies for the purpose of profiting from the slavery of workers. At least 65% of Nigerian workers have been reportedly forced into casual employment, outsourced contract employment and other anti-labour working conditions. Upon becoming the NLC President, Joe Ajaero met with leaders of factory-based trade unions and there was an agreement to resist casualisation and outsourced contract employment. But two years after, not a finger has been lifted let alone putting in place a leadership that will drive the campaign and resistance.

It is not only private sector employers that are guilty of this atrocity some state governments are also implementing outsourcing and casual labour. For instance, the Lagos State Government has casualised some workers including street sweepers and others that are paid poverty wages while the owners of these outsourced companies who are members of privileged ruling elite are profiting handsomely.

The Labour leadership has also failed to resist anti-poor policies (hikes in electricity and fuel prices, devaluation of the Naira, hike in prices of telecommunication services, etc.). These neoliberal and anti-people polices have further eroded and undermined the already poor living conditions and thereby consolidated poverty. Many people cannot feed adequately or meet basic needs as cost living remains high.

Not only did the labour leaders refuse to resist anti-poor policies, it stood aloof when Nigerians (mostly young people and activists) were protesting these anti-poor policies in what is known as Endbadgovernance protest in 2024.

A trade union leader in the person of Mrs Funmi Sessi (Lagos State Chairperson of the non-sectarian NLC) responded to the Endbadgovernance protest in August 2024 in such a reactionary and sectarian manner by brazenly calling on protesters to leave Lagos State to their respective “states of origin” in a show of support for the capitalist ruling party (APC). What this means in actual fact is that some labour leaders actually played pro-state and anti-people roles in undermining the legitimate struggles of the people not just in workplaces but also in popular struggles.

The trade union leaders failed woefully in ensuring pension law is complied with. Many companies are currently violating the pension law by pocketing contributions instead of remitting to the Pension Custodian as stipulated in the Act. Unfortunately, state governments are equally violators. For instance, the Ogun State government is sitting on workers’ pension contributions, which is currently about 50 billion Naira. Unfortunately, the previous and current Ogun State labour leadership have kept quiet and refused to resist this attack on workers’ pension rights.

In the area of remuneration, the trade union leadership won an increment in minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000. Nevertheless, today’s minimum wage value is poorer than the previous minimum wage value. For instance, N70,000 can only buy 58 loaves of bread while N30,000 bought about 100 loaves of bread in 2019 when it became the national minimum wage. Hence, despite being a higher minimum wage in Naira, the value has been largely eroded due to the implementation of anti-poor neo-liberal policies.

There is the need for a determined fight back but the vast majority of the trade union leaders cannot be relied upon to prosecute this. It will take so much pressure from workers or the removal from leadership the right-wing reactionary and pro-capitalist labour leaders before a serious struggle can be waged. It will then mean that rank and file workers and activists must build a network of united fronts to reclaim and rebuild a fighting and democratic trade union movement.

OUR DEMANDS:

• For a fighting and democratic trade union leadership that seriously defends the working class.
• An end to casualisation and outsourced contract employment. For regularisation of all employment.
• For a living wage, starting with an improved minimum wage of N250,000 and to be increased with the rate of inflation.
• For an improved pension and social security schemes that take care of the vulnerable and aged ones. An end to the practice of non-remittance of deducted pension and for defaulters (employers of labour) to be sanctioned.
• Reversal of all anti-poor neo-liberal policies (privatisation, deregulation, commercialisation of education and health care etc) including reversing fuel prices, electricity tariff, school fees etc. For adequate funding of education, health care, housing etc.
• For massive investment in basic amenities, agriculture and industries to enable to expansion and growth of the economy and creation of jobs.
• For the nationalisation of the commanding heights of the economy and placed under the democratic control of the working class.

Chinedu Bosah

National Publicity Secretary

Email [email protected]