NLC Backs Sustained ASUU Strike,Blames Government

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has blamed the federal
and state governments for the plethora of strikes currently
going on by different unions in the country due to the
failure of the governments to abide by agreements reached
with the unions through collective bargaining.
This is as it expressed support for the sustained indefinite
strike by its affiliate; Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU).
The acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Chris Uyot, in
a telephone interview with THISDAY, yesterday, lamented
that several unions, especially in the education sector had
embarked on strike or are threatening to go on strike all for
the same reasons as ASUU due to the failure of government
to respect agreements.
He added that ASUU strike deserved more attention than it
is currently receiving as it has to do with the improvement of
facilities and improvements of the standard of education in
the country.
"ASUU is our affiliate and for every step they have taken,
we have been with them, we have been briefed. The NLC is
as invested in this case as ASUU itself. The vice-president
has been appointed to take over the negotiations and the
ball is now in the court of the government as it were. We do
not think that the government has given it the type of
attention it deserves,
" he said.
Uyot described as unfortunate the practice where
governments enter willing agreements with unions through
collective bargaining, and refuses to respect or uphold its
end of the agreement. This, he said, negates the concept of
the rule of law and order, which the government is currently
championing.
"The essence of negotiations for collective bargaining to
bring about an agreement is to ensure that there is peace
and harmony in the workplace, to bring about better
understanding between employers and employees.
So if we
decide to manipulate agreements, agreements that have
come through mutual negotiations, we are distorting the
very concept of industrial relations which is the foundation of
peace and harmony and stability in the workplace. It means
we are trying to distort our own laws that guide these
things," he added.

Uyot continued: "The world this day is guided by social
dialogue and one of the tenets of social dialogue is mutual
respect for agreements that have been entered by the
partners. When you want to extricate the outcome of
something that came through social dialogue, then you are
invariably calling for chaos. Both federal and state
governments seem to be more interested in violations of
agreements and this is the major cause of industrial crises."
The acting General Secretary expressed the readiness of the
labour movement to honour agreements entered though
collective bargaining and urged the government to have a
rethink and start to act according to agreements.
"On our part as labour, we are ready at anytime to respect
agreements that are mutually reached, but government is
making it a tradition to disrespect the same agreement; you
cannot run a workplace e or a country like that.
"Government needs to rethink the issue of collective
agreements seriously. We feel sad that the country has
been made to experience these problems because our
leaders are running a system that respects the same laws
which they have set," Uyot added