Bimbola Oyesola
President Muhammadu Buhari’s must make a difference on the economy, which, according to the president of the National Union of Shops and Distributive Employees (NUSDE), Comrade Innocent Jaja, has been in coma for the past four years.
Speaking in this interview, the labour leader stated that the task would not be impossible for him to achieve, if he can get technocrats to do the job, rather than party members.
He also opined that casualisation was enslavement of workers and the union was of the position that they must be liberated.
Comrade Jaja equally dwelt on the problem the union was facing in organising its members and the steps taken to resolve the issues.
Excerpts:
Major challenge
It is the issue of the economy. Last year you I said the economy was in crisis and, right now, it is still in crisis. I mentioned then the issue of just one factor, which was power. I said then very fortunately that the then minister of power was the former Lagos State governor and he did say then that a serious government could fix the power problem within six months. He was there for four years and the problem still persisted. Government should fix power, most of the companies in our sector use power 24 hours. One can imagine how much they have to spend buying diesel to run their organisations. If power is fixed, for instance, the money being used could be used in the expansion of the companies and these companies could employ more hands, which would help in reducing the unemployment problem in the country.
The economy must be fixed, but first is the issue of power, government must be sincere enough to take this matter seriously. It is not enough to have distribution discos here and there, whereas they are not distributing. So, of what use are they? For instance, due to this power problem, companies are folding up every day. There’s hardly no single month that we are not confronted with issue of downsizing or right-sizing, this is because the economy is in a mess and it’s affecting us as a union.
The economy is a major thing because it has a multiplier effect. If the economy is not in good shape, it affects everybody, the man that is working, the man that is employing, the man that is even selling; the economy even determines one’s state of mind. When the stomach is empty, it needs to be fed and one may just sell his birthright.
Buhari’s second term
I am happy that the President in one of his addresses said that, in this second term, he is going to chose men of integrity for his cabinet. It means that he’s agreeing with us that, to a very large extent, he must have made some errors in those that he chose in his first term. So, in this second term, he must choose those with integrity, the technocrats that will work with him to achieve a better Nigeria for us. Those who have the wherewithal to advise government properly. Those who will ensure that government plans are being implemented.
It is one thing to have a plan, it is another thing to implement it. So, the President has the task to ensure that the people he is chosing must be those willing to work. He must not only allow the ruling party to influence his appointments, but rather go for those who know their onions. If his job to fix the economy goes beyond the ruling party, then he should not hesitate to do that. Whether from Labour Party, APGA, PDP, APC, it does not matter, we are Nigerians and the country belongs to us all.
The President this time around should do well for the country and ensure that he fixes the economy. I believe that he will do better than the first time, if he can get technocrats to do the job.
Organising
As a union, it has been tough for us but, by the grace of God, we have made a lot of progress and today we have added some numbers to the union, but we are not yet there because there are still many people to organise. Every day, new companies are coming into the sector, so we will continue to put in our best.
We have given marching orders to our national secretariat that the issue of organising must be taken seriously. It is a matter that we can no longer toy with. I believe that, with God on our side, we will succeed.
Employers’ reaction
An average employer will not want their workers to be organised, hence will not help us to do our job. The reason is, some of them still believe that, if the workers are organised, the union is going to be asking for increment here and there. But that thinking is parochial; only a few of them understand that it is the right of workers to be organised and those ones are really cooperating. But to those who have not been cooperating, it is not in their place to tell workers not to be organised. They have no option, it is the right of the workers to be organised. It is backed by the Constitution of the country and so no employer has the right to go against that constitutional right. As long as we are backed by law, we will continue in our organising. One thing those employers also do not know is that employers and the workers are partners in progress. Even the increment they are talking about is minimal compared to what they spend on expatriates. I told one of them that what the company could use for expansion was unnecessarily being wasted as overbloated expatriates’ quota. We need to tell them that it’s in our place to ensure that the workers are organised and a lot of them are appreciating the fact. It is natural to have some initial resistance, but those who are not ready to cooperate with us, at the appropriate time, we will take them on; no one should try to be bigger than the law of the country.
Casualisation and outsourcing
We are existing not in isolation of the society. We have enough regulation, but the problem we have in this country is asserting ourselves to see that these rules are maintained. Something that saddens me is that the law, at one point, is unconstitutional so to say such that an employer can have casuals in the organisation. But today for instance, there are glorified casuals employed by a labour contractor. Assuming that Mr. A is working in Company B and employed by the management of that company, and Mr. C is employed by a third party for the same organisation, Mr. C automatically is a casual in that organisation. Government is also indirectly encouraging casualisation in the country. But the question we must ask is, why do employers run away from employing workers directly, and giving jobs to third parties? There is something the employer is running away from and so it is a challenge. But since we do not have the power to say that the employer should not operate in the country as a result of casualisation, our position is that the workers must be organised, irrespective of their status. It has not been easy. I consider it enslavement of our members and we believe they must be liberated.
The issue of labour contract is a serious issue that encourages casualisation. You go to an organisation and you see staff doing the same thing but earning different remuneration. The position of the law is that workers should be absorbed as permanent staff after six months, but the same law allows somebody to go behind to employ somebody as casuals and they are not answerable to management. Labour as a group must find a way to address the problem in our laws, since some have become obsolete.
Why must our labour ministry be giving out licences to organisations as labour contractors? Something must be done, Organised labour must come together to challenge this problem, now that our check-off dues are dwindling. These are the unions in the private sector, because, for those in the public sector, check-off deduction is automatic. Immediately one is employed, deduction is automatic. But those of us in the private sector, we must come together to engage government, we must find out, why this sudden rush for issuance of certificates to people as labour contractors? Something is wrong somewhere. As I have earlier said, it is nothing rather than slavery, wherein a man under the guise of the right of the certificate can go and employ and give the workers to somebody else. Why is the employer running away from direct employment? Our policy needs to be reviewed. I believe that God will see us through and, besides, one with God is a majority. So, the Lord is our strength.