Interventions by the Anglican and Catholic Churches in Enugu State over wage dispute between Labour and the government appear to have yielded little dividend as the Governor Sullivan Chime-led administration seems bent on defying demands by distraught workers to pay the minimum wage. LEADERSHIP WEEKEND’s NNAMDI MBAWIKE reports
When the national leadership of labour declared the mother of all strikes in Enugu State last month, over the implementation of the new Minimum Wage Act, many had concluded that the state government would succumb to the dictates of public servants in the state. Labour leaders led by the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), comrade Abdulwahed Omar had claimed that their decision to declare the mother of all strikes followed the failure of negotiations between its delegation and the state government.
The national labour leadership also announced that it had taken over all negotiations on minimum wage from the state labour leaders. Prior to the declaration, the labour leaders including the chairman of NLC were held hostage by soldiers and policemen at Gold Value Hotel, Enugu for several hours. Declaring the mother of all strikes at Enugu Worker’s
Freedom Square shortly after? the labour leaders regained their freedom,? Omar, warned that the industrial action would not be an“ ordinary strike”
“On behalf of the labour movement in Nigeria, an industrial action is hereby declared. This is not just an ordinary strike; all essential duties must be stopped,” he said. The NLC president further stated? that organised labour had resolved to use Enugu State as a test case for all the states in the South-East zone. Omar alleged that the governor of Enugu State wanted to “act differently from other states in Nigeria” and vowed to resist any attempt to enslave the workers.
He stated that if Governor Sullivan Chime refuses to negotiate with labour on the new minimum wage, neighboring states would be directed to commence a solidarity strike. He advised workers in the state to regard the recent increment of their salaries as bonuses, insisting that the Enugu State government must sit down and discuss. In a show of solidarity, banks and some corporate organizations refused to open for businesses shortly after the declaration.
The mother of all strikes almost shut down Enugu completely as economic and social activities were almost grounded. But, the governor was not intimidated by the mother of all strikes as he swiftly dragged the workers to the Industrial Court sitting in Abuja seeking among other things, a declaration that the industrial action by workers in the state at the instance of Congress was unlawful.
Following the hardship occasioned by the strike, some elders and bishops intervened and advised the workers to go back to work. The? strike was finally suspended early this month following the intervention of the concerned elders , traditional rulers and religious leaders? who met with leaders of Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Joint Public Service Negotiating Council in Enugu.
A communique issued? at the end of the meeting stated that the concerned elders and traditional rulers of Enugu State, under the aegis of Anglican and Catholic Bishops, met with labour leaders in the state under the chairmanship of His Lordship, Most Rev. Calistus Onaga, resolved? that all matters relating to the labour dispute in the state, including the court case and non-victimisation of workers, would be looked into by traditional rulers, under Catholic and Anglican Bishops of Enugu, with a view to resolving them within 21 days.
“That the strike action by the civil servants and workers in Enugu State be, and is suspended with immediate effect.”? The communique reads in part. Unfortunately, despite all efforts to nip the labour dispute in the bud, recent developments appears to shown that the labour dispute in Enugu state is far from over.
Just last week, Governor Sullivan Chime announced that those who participated in the last industrial action would forfeit their September salaries. Governor Chime, who made the disclosure while speaking with reporters, maintained that the workers had no reason to embark on strike, and insisted that his government had fully implemented the N18,000 minimum wage as required by? law.
The governor used the opportunity to explain that he was compelled to stop the labour leaders because they were bent on de-stabilising the peace in the state and added that? the labour leaders were out to sabotage the state government. He lamented that the labour leaders stormed Enugu to protest minimum wage despite the fact that? the state government had implemented minimum wage even beyond the provisions of the law.
“We implemented the minimum wage Act in full compliance with the provisions of the law. The Act is so simple that you don’t need to be a lawyer to understand it and so we paid our workers fully even before any of the states in the south-east and most of the states in the country. Curiously, what we got in return was that the national leaders of the NLC, the TUC or whatever they are called took our workers for a ride and made our workers to go on strike. Of course, we tried stopping them when they came to hold that rally. As the Chief security officer of the state, I have the right to stop any rally that will cause the breach of the peace and that is what we wanted to do.
“Unfortunately, they saw themselves as heroes. Some TV stations did not help matters as they were showing them and claiming that they were being held hostage,” he stated. But Chime’s announcement did not go down well with majority of the workers as they concluded that it was part of the plans of the state government to? victimize them over their role during the strike.
In what was perceived by many as a retaliatory move, the workers led by the opposition? labour leader in Enugu State , Osmond Ugwu converged at the NLC secretariat in Enugu last monday to hold a prayer session. It was gathered that the authentic chairman of the NLC in the state, Mr. Chumaife Nze, whom majority of the workers alleged had compromised,? did not approve the? prayer session.
Apparently afraid that Ugwu might instigate other workers to breach peace, security operatives stormed the venue of the prayer session and apprehended him last Monday. The failure of the police to arraign the opposition labour leader on the next day after his arrest raised a lot of dust. In a show of solidarity, hundreds of workers had stormed? the Enugu Magistrate Court on Tuesday in anticipation of the arraignment of the factional labour leader but the police failed to bring him to court.
Ugwu was finally arraigned last Wednesday at an Enugu Chief? Magistrate,s Court.
Chief Magistrate Phil Nwankwo, after hearing the charges,? ordered the remand of? the self acclaimed leader? of the organized labour in , Enugu, Mr Osmond Ugwu in prison custody.The court also? remanded? one Mr Elobuike Raphael in prison custody over the same offence
Ugwu and Elobuikem were arraigned before the Magistrate court? on a two count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony to with and attempted murder.
The prosecutor,? Inspector Felix okafor who brought the? two count charge before the court had? said that? the offences were committed on 24th of October 2011. Okafor further submitted that the offences were punishable under section 494 of the criminal code cap 30 vol 11 laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004 and section 275(a) of the criminal
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