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The Workers’ Day celebrated on Friday has have come and gone, but one thing that resonates still among all the trade union centres and affiliates is the resolution to defend workers’ rights post-COVID -19 pandemic.
As most workers resume today in the partial rasing of the lockdown, especially in Lagos and Abuja, members of the organised labour movement are more alert to the threat to workers’ livelihoods, which they are rearing to defend.
All the trade centres and their affiliates were unanimous in their position against any slash in workers’ salary or the employers converting the lockdown period to annual leave of the workers.
Organised labour, at different fora, warned employers of labour in the public and private sectors that it would vehemently resisit such plans. The threat may have been informed by the plans of some employers like the Dangote Group, Access Bank, Sheraton Hotel, Airport Hotel, Arik Air and others who have made their plans known to either slash salaries, force staff to go on leave without pay, use the time spent during lockdown as annual leave or outright sacking of staff.
The Dangote Group, in a letter to all its staff dated April 27, 2020, signed by Mohan Kumar, director, Human Assets Management & Project Support, with the heading, “Work Hours vis-a-vis Lockdown,” stated: “This is to advise all staff that the lockdown period will be regarded as part of leave period and, therefore, annual leave consuming. Where any staff has exhausted his or her leave period, a commensurate amount would be deducted to cover the period. Please be suitably guided.”
Access Bank on the other hand is said to be planning a pay cut of almost 40 per cent, depending on the position of the worker, while some of its contract employees may also be sent home as part of the measures to survive the harsh business climate, should the situation fail to improve.
Last week, the management of Airport Hotel directed all its staff to proceed on a three-month leave without pay, in reaction to the downturn of business due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel management, in a letter dated April 21, signed by Yemi Madu, stated that the staff should continue to stay at home for another three months.
The letter read, “We regret to inform you of the decision of management for you to continue your stay at home after your leave for three months without pay, till the company contacts you.”
According to the management, this was due to the company’s present financial crisis and its future uncertainty in this prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. Madu noted that, “This decision was painful and we are sorry it has to come to this, but we will continue to hope for the best and wish you well.”
The management of Airport Hotel was not only sending the workers home for the next three months without pay but failed to pay workers their March salary despite being in business then before lockdown.
In the same vein, the managements of Sheraton Hotels, in Lagos and Abuja, have notified their workers of the inability to pay April’s salary.
In reaction, the president of the Hotel and Personal Services Senior Staff Association (HAPSSSA), Adegbe William Iyeh, said the union considered the hotels’ actions as unconstitutional and wicked, and they have vowed to resist them.
“This action is not acceptable to the union, it is against collective bargaining agreement, which the managements of these hotels are signatory to,” he said.
Besides, the labour leader said the hotels, up till the time of the lockdown by the Federal Government, were fully booked and making good business. He wondered why they have chosen to owe workers now.
He said, “All the employers who are not ready to pay their workers, taking advantage of this period, should know that, very soon by the grace of God the pandemic will be over and the business will resume and then we as a union will let them know that we are the pillars behind their success in business.”
On the government side, Kaduna State government has also announced a 25 per cent salary cut for senior civil servants receiving above N67,000, to provide palliatives for vulnerable citizens affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.
Labour’s positions
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), last Tuesday, warned employers of labour against stopping or reducing salary of workers on account of COVID-19.
In the same vein the leadership of the congress has directed its state councils to resist any salary deduction by the state governments due to COVID-19.
President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, in his address at the 2020 International Workers Memorial Workers’ Day event, declared that labour was not a commodity to be taken, trampled, and tossed aside.
“This is not the time to stop or deduct from workers’ salaries. Such an action would be both illogical and illegal, as workers’ salaries are core elements of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements,” he said.
The NLC president said workers create the wealth and demand a decent fraction of the reward of their efforts, urging workers everywhere to continue to draw inspiration from the fact that, without their sweat, no sweet gain can be made.
He said, “Without the twitching of our muscles, no socio-economic puzzle can be solved. In reciprocation of the enormous sacrifice made by workers, we urge employers of labour to show solidarity with the sacrifice of our workers and people by ensuring wage protection, income support and social inclusion at these trying times.”
He reassured workers that their priority in these trying times remained the cautious, gradual, evidence-led and smart restart of the economy so that they can go back to work.
Taking a cue from the NLC president, the Kaduna State branch of the NLC, on Wednesday, rejected the state government’s 25 per cent salary cut for senior civil servants in the state to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The labour union asked the state government to return the deduction or “face the wrath” of the union.
The NLC state chairman, Ayuba Suleiman, said the deduction should be done with workers’ consent, and anything other than that was unacceptable.
Also in his May Day address, the president of the United Labour Congress (ULC), Joe Ajaero, said the labour movement rejected the impunity-laden plan of the Kaduna State government to cut the salaries of workers in the state.
Ajaero, describing the plan as unacceptable, vowed to resist the move in the spirit of solidarity. He declared that, if the governor has implemented it, the pay cut should be returned to the workers immediately.
“We are going to mobilise Nigerian workers and march against Kaduna because an injury to one is an injury to all. The workers did not stay at home on their own volition, so if you as a government tell the workers to stay at home, you must be able to provide them with the means of livelihood, anything short of that is wickedness,” he said.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) also charged the Federal Government to protect workers from uncharitable employers who may want to maltreat workers under the guise of COVID-19.
The TUC president, Quadri Olaleye, in his May Day message, said the aftermath of COVID-19 may lead to many workers losing their means of livelihood.
“Consequent on COVID-19, many workers might eventually lose their means of livelihood. We call on government to protect the workers from some uncharitable employers.Workers should not be made victims of COVID-19,” he said.
The TUC president said it has been brought to the knowledge of labour centres that some employers were claiming that they could not pay salaries for the duration of the COVID-19 lockdown, noting that it is evil and inhuman to come up with such decision.
According to him, this is the time when individuals and organisations should show that workers are partners in progress.
Other reactions
The Maritime Union of Nigeria (MWUN), in its May Day message, equally warned that it would not accept pay cut by the management of any maritime company. President-general, Mr. Adewale Adeyanju, said members of the union would not also accept the lockdown period as their annual leave.
According to him, workers cannot be made to pay for a problem they did not create: “Comrades, most disheartening is the attempt by some management to cut the salaries, wages and allowances of our members without any probable cause.
“On this matter, we stand with the Nigeria Labour Congress, who has acknowledged that, in spite of the known fact that workers produce capital, they are always relegated and at the receiving end.”
He added, “We also wish to bring to the public space the attempt by some management to cheat our members by forcing them to convert this lockdown period to their annual leave.
“We condemn this attempt without recourse to normal consideration and processes. We find it strange that workers will be subjected to punishment for a situation that is entirely out of their control and this we will resist within the ambit of law.”
On its part, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) called for mutual sacrifices and cooperation among all the stakeholders so that they can collectively defeat COVID-19 and the associated hunger in the land for a better tomorrow.
The president of the union, Williams Akporeha, said this is the time all should come together to develop ways and means to save the human race from the pandemic rather than being preoccupied with issues of pecuniary gains.
He said, “The fear of how the workers are going to fare against the unknown enemy and the current economic hardships are already creating social upheavals to such an extent that any further loss of jobs in our industry would achieve nothing but complications and aggravation of an already bad situation.”
He said NUPENG as a union also empathizes with various employers of labour across board, particularly in the oil and gas industry, and expressed the willingness to cooperate and work with them in this turbulent journey for the survival of humanity and the challenges of revamping workplaces.
He said, “We shall be together when the sun rises once again and our machines in various factories roar back to life.”
“It is very important to note here that we received with deep sense of relief and hope the report of the offer of the Department of Petroleum Resources to support the operations of oil and gas companies during the perilous period so as to avoid stoppage of operations and unnecessary loss of jobs by workers.
On this promising note, we strongly implore oil and gas companies not to exploit the current disturbing situation to declare unnecessary redundancies or inflict precarious and unfair labour practices on the workers that are already emotionally and psychologically traumatised.”
The vice president representing Africa on the executive committee of IndustriAll Global Union, Issa Aremu, said the pandemic shows that labour not only creates wealth but saves and nurtures lives. According to him, post-COVID-19, government and businesses must stop underrating workers but see them as partners in development.
He noted that Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, reported that no fewrer than 100 health workers in Nigeria had tested positive for COVID-19.
“Some have actually died in both public and private hospitals. Better late than never: Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has initiated the life insurance cover for the frontline workers on COVID-19 for a maximum of 5,000 health workers who are employed to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The premium in the sum of N112,500,000 is, however, still token, given the risks to irreplaceable lives.”
He added that labour, under difficult conditions, had risen to defend the right to pay, wages and jobs under the lockdown.
“I salute the leadership of NLC and TUC for ensuring that President Buhari’s directive that all workers should be paid as at when due during the lock down is respected by all employers in both public and private sectors.”
The action by the employers already owing/slashing salary or conversion lockdown to leave might be contrary to the employers umbrella body, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and the federal government as NECA calling for the relaxation of the lockdown has expressed, “the federal government had spoken well in urging businesses to continue to bear the brunt without a recourse to staff rationalization. NECA as the most representative body for ORGANISED businesses and employers of labour in Nigeria had equally added its voice by advising its members to continue to keep the full complements of its workers for as long as it is bearable and as far as economic indices will permit.”
