There are four vital strikes going on in Nigeria today. They are being organized by PASAN, JUSUN, ASUP and the NLC in Kaduna State. The success of these strikes has implications for beginning to address poverty, inequality, corruption and insecurity. But this is only the beginning, the depths of inequality mean that we have a massive fight on our hands. We need extensive support and solidarity from across the trade union movement and civil society for these strikes to win.
But as importantly, we need more trade unions and trade union branches to take action to address their own particular demands. This is in addition to the general problems of retrenchments and the lack of a living minimum wage. Trade union leaders face huge pressures to compromise, we need to organise greater pressure to force them to lead effective strike action. Now is the time for trade unions to join the fight.
The parliamentary workers organised in PASAN have been on indefinite national strike since 23rd March. The judiciary workers of JUSUN have also been on indefinite national strike since 6th April. As a result, the courts and houses of assembly in each state have been locked up. These two strikes are over financial autonomy for their sectors.
Autonomy is also needed for local governments and has been recognised by the Supreme Court. The local government workers union (NULGE) should be taking action now over this and other issues.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) on Tuesday 6th April also declared an indefinite strike to demand the implementation of a new salary scheme for polytechnic lecturers. The union is also demanding payment of salaries and promotion allowances owed lecturers by some state governments. Almost all 31 Federal Polytechnics and 48 at state level are closed.
These three trade unions now appear to have learned the lessons of the long ASUU strike last year and repeated strikes across the health sector. The governments cannot be trusted and the strikes must continue until the key demands have actually been implemented and bank alerts received. ASUU is considering returning to strike action as its demands have yet to be implemented since they suspended their strike in late December last year.
In the health sector, JOHESU held a seven day strike in September last year, but have yet to take the next step to holding a national strike. Now is the time to take action when the government is facing strikes in several other sectors.
JUSUN, PASAN and ASUP have a duty to organise active strikes to encourage solidarity from other workers and so achieve victory in the shortest possible time. Town Hall meetings, protests and pickets need to be organised in all states supported by other trade unionists and socialists. Leaflets must be produced to explain the reasons for the strikes and speakers must be sent out to address other trade union meetings.
The Kaduna strike against repeated retrenchments has started well with massive daily protests. This needs to be continued throughout the strike. In addition, the NLC needs to be clear about this next step – what happens at the end of this week?
Massive Economic Growth Since 2000
The Nigerian economy tripled in size between the years 1999 and 2015. This growth was based on sectors other than oil, so the value of manufacturing output increased by three and a half times and services by four times. As a result, the oil sector as a per centage of the GDP reduced from between a third and a half around 2000 to well less than 10 per cent by 2015 and oil & gas is now even lower at 8.5%. A recent report shows that in 2020 agriculture was only a quarter of the economy whilst telecoms and manufacturing were almost 10% each.
The contribution of the manufacturing sector may still be less than 10% of the economy, but it was the fastest growing sector over the 2011-2017 period and grew three and a half times over the period 1999 to 2017. This is faster than current growth rates in China.
So we have had massive economic growth and industrialisation over the last two decades, but it has been looted by the corrupt elite. Most people are now poorer than they were a decade ago and have seen almost no improvement since 2000. That is why they are angry (shown by the strikes) and desperate (shown by increased insecurity).
Workers cannot afford to live
Workers cannot afford to do without a full minimum living wage. Legally, the minimum wage should have been increased every five years – unlike electricity prices that are reviewed twice a year. So after the 2011 increase there should have been further increases in 2016 and another this year. With inflation now at around 20% a year and we need the minimum wage to be increased every year just to keep pace with inflation. Inflation has been around 300% since 2021 (and probably higher for the poor) – on average prices are now three times the level they were a decade ago. To maintain its 2011 value the minimum wage would have to be at least N54,000.
This is needed to move away from the high levels of poverty and associated corruption and insecurity. Before the Covid-19 pandemic started, in 2019, the National Bureau of Statistics found that 40% of the population were existing below the poverty line. Surveys by the Centre for Economic Policy Research in 2020 found that 60% of the adult population were suffering from moderate or severe food insecurity during the lockdowns. This fantastic level of abject poverty almost certainly explains the significant rise in insecurity of various forms over the last year and more.
This is why all workers in all states need to be paid a minimum wage of at least N30,000 with another large increase this year. This would still only enable them to buy the same amount of food as they used to be able to afford a decade ago.
What next after the 5-day strike in Kaduna State?
Socialist Labour calls on the NLC National Executive Committee to consider a nationwide strike if the Kaduna State government remains unyielding after the 5-day strike. The national strike should then articulate the demands and interests of existing striking unions as well as the issues of reversal of increases in fuel price and electricity tariffs, non-payment of national minimum wage, part payment of wages, physical insecurity etc. We welcome the promises from several trade unions to move towards a national strike, especially if any of Hell Rufai’s threats are implemented. These include AUPCTRE, NUPENG and NUEE. We need other trade unions and branches to make similar promises.
We need a massive fight to end poverty and hunger this should include the following additional demands developed by ASCAB:
- Significantly increase government budgets for health, education and water/sanitation in line with international norms.
- End all charges for primary health and education. Cancel all fees for higher education at least until the end of this year.
- No job or wage cuts by governments or the private sector.
- Ensure that clean water and adequate sanitation are available at all primary school and health facilities.
- Schools should only be opened with the agreement of the National Union of Teachers and other relevant trade unions where proper social distancing can be arranged.
- The planned expansion of the Social Register should include all people currently existing below the poverty line.
- All defaults on rent, electricity and debt repayments should not result in penalties or sanctions.
- All households, residential institutions and the homeless must be provided access to safe drinking water, either through public pipe borne water or water tankers, public or private, at government expense.
To begin to implement this agenda we need massive solidarity with the existing strikes by JUSUN, PASAN, ASUP and across Kaduna State. We also need to extend the fight, so now is the time for JOHESU, NULGE and others to join the strike wave with their own demands. We need massive pressure on the trade union leaders of all trade unions across both the TUC and NLC – now is the time for action, talking and negotiations are no longer enough.
