The very disruptive industrial action that brought Kaduna State to a virtual halt last week could have been avoided from the onset if only cooler heads had been deployed by both sides. Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) suspended its 5-day warning strike on the third day, but not before economic activities in Kaduna were paralysed, a heated war of words ensued and there were skirmishes on the streets. NLC strike was to protest Kaduna State Government’s sack of 4,000 workers.
Fourteen NLC-affiliated unions including Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria (NUEE), National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Nigeria Union of Railway Workers all joined the strike action. Banks, schools, hospitals, airports and railway stations all remained shut while the strike lasted. Electricity supply was also cut off.
The 10-man committee that the federal government set up, which met on Thursday last week, managed to resolve the impasse and get the strike action suspended. The committee had representatives of the state government and NLC officials with Kaduna State Head of Service and NLC deputy national president as chairperson and vice chairperson respectively. Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Chris Ngige declared that while the industrial action remains suspended, “no worker shall be victimized on account of his or her participation in the industrial action.”
Under Governor Nasiru El-Rufa’i, Kaduna State Government significantly increased its internal revenue generation and was prompt in its implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage. However, his stiff-necked management of the recent labour crisis in the state portrayed him as a leader in need of more wisdom, more patience and a more listening ear. That hired thugs attacked the labour strikers was despicable and a recipe for future chaos and bloodshed.
Kaduna State Government could borrow a leaf from sister states that, in the face of dwindling revenues, chose options other than mass sack of workers. While some reverted to the old minimum wage, others suspended payment of some allowances to workers. Other conceivable choices may include cutting down the number of aides and allowances of political office holders to reduce cost of governance. It is true that our public service is bloated and unproductive, but the trimming should follow a carefully crafted and comprehensive plan that should avoid worsening poverty and criminality in society.
