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Says members sabotaging strike actions
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will take decisive action against state governments and employers who fail to implement the national minimum wage and consequential adjustment by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, who is also the National Internal Auditor of the NLC, disclosed this at a leadership retreat organised for the union’s National Administrative Committee Members on Wednesday in Abuja.
He warned that states and institutions that continue to delay or manipulate wage payments would face strict consequences.
According to him, “The problem with the government and employers of labour is that of insincerity. The national minimum wage has been signed into law, and payments should have commenced nationwide, but in most institutions and states, these things are just an award. In most universities and state governments, what they did was just to award a certain amount, a figure they are merely using to play with the intelligence of workers.
“But I am happy that the NLC is not sleeping on this matter and that we have been engaging. And you can see that it was only when the NLC gave the directive that any state government that refuses to implement the national minimum wage should face a strike, that you started seeing different state governors rushing to sign. Most of them are even kangaroo agreements that have not seen the light of day.”
Ibrahim assured that the NLC is not sleeping on this issue and that the union will enforce workers’ rights through labour laws and industrial actions if necessary.
“But going forward, I can assure you, because I am the National Internal Auditor of the NLC, and at the level of leadership, we are taking very stringent measures to ensure that between now and the end of this first quarter, any state or employer of labour that refuses to implement the national minimum wage and refuses to adjust workers’ salaries accordingly will face the consequences. The labour laws are there, and we have all that it takes to enforce our rights against those employers,” he added.
Speaking on the challenges faced by labour unions, the SSANU President said that some members sabotage strike actions, weakening the effectiveness of industrial actions.
“Unfortunately, some of our own members work against our collective struggle. They engage in blackmail and underhand dealings to derail strike actions. But this is not unique to SSANU; it happens in every sector. Part of why we are holding this retreat is to educate our members on the importance of unity and discipline within the union,” he stated.
Ibrahim also admitted that industrial actions have lost their effectiveness due to government indifference and worker fatigue. He noted that while strikes remain a last resort, the union is exploring alternative negotiation strategies.
He emphasised the need for continuous training of university staff and better funding of tertiary institutions, stressing that universities must remain centres of learning and innovation, requiring continuous capacity building for staff.
“As leaders of this great union, we must ensure our national executives are equipped with the latest global trends. SSANU is an affiliate of NLC, and we have benefited from international training programmes. It is important that we bring this knowledge back home and share it at all levels,” he said.
The retreat featured key speakers, including former NLC President Ayuba Wabba, former SSANU President Chief Adeusi, and the Director-General of the Institute of Mentoring and Coaching, Dr Rotimi Mathew.