SOCIALIST BULLETIN NOVEMBER 2023
The poor majority have suffered major attacks on their living standards in the last few months. The price of petrol tripled, transport costs doubled and officially food inflation was over 30% over the year to the end of September. However, the trades unions have so far failed to provide the necessary robust response need to these attacks.
Resolute Action Needed from the NLC/TUC As Government Reneges on its Promise!
Half Way Through the NLC/TUCs 30 day suspension of its strike the Federal Government appears to have reneged on its promise to pay all Federal workers N35,000. The trade unions shoud seek clarification on this issue. Then the NLC/TUC should consider strike action if the Memorandum of Understanding is not to be implemented as agreed.
Trade Unions in the States will have to fight to Win Pay Increases
In January, 2023, workers in Federal Government budget funded bodies were given a 40% pay increase. As a result of the agreement to suspend strike action by the NLC/TUC in early October Federal workers were awarded another increase of N35,000 a month (at least for those funded by the Treasury). However, these increases do not yet apply...
CAC TRADE UNION WINS DISMISSAL OF DICTATORIAL REGISTRAR-GENERAL
‘CAC SHALL RISE AGAIN’
A WHISTLE BLOWING ACCOUNT OF THE TENURE OF A.G. ABUBAKAR, THE OUT GONE REGISTRAR-GENERAL OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, JANUARY 7TH 2020 - 13TH OCTOBER, 2023.
2. THE TOTALITARIAN CAC
VICTIMS’ ACCOUNT OF THE HUMAN...
Join Socialist Labour if You Are Angry About NLC/TUC’s Failure to Strike
We waited four months for the NLC/TUC to act. And then they called off their promised indefinite general strike for a few crumbs from the Government. You are right to be angry – we can do better than this! We need you to join Socialist Labour so that next time we are strong enough to hold the...
Workers Struggles And The General Strike Of 1963; By Izielen Agbon
“Workers do not strike every day, they cannot do that the way they function in the capitalist economy. The way they have to live by selling their labor power makes that impossible.” — Ernest Mandel
THE PLANNED general strike of October 3, 2023 was called off a few hours before it began. Like most NLC-TUC planned...
Niger: a time of uncertainty
PAUL MARTIAL
The July 26 coup in Niger came as a surprise. No one had seen it coming either inside the country or in the French or American government offices, although they are generally well informed about the situation in African countries. A paradox for a country which has just experienced its fifth coup...
Culture and Liberation
Culture is important for our liberation. The following two articles by supporters of Socialist Labour consider two aspects of our common culture. The first considers the importance of music, especially Reggae and Afrobeat, and their links to African liberation. The second considers the historic loss of artistic skills with the example of the Benin bronzes (many of...
Mobilisation for an Active General Strike is Essential
In the last year, the working-class in Nigeria have suffered a series of major setbacks. It is essential that these defeats are overturned as soon as possible. This requires the NLC and the TUC to make serious preparations towards the indefinite general strike and to ensure that it includes protests and rallies on a daily basis in...
NLC and TUC Need to Change Strategy – lessons from the last decade – Alex Batubo
The strategy of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) over the last decade or so has included extended negotiations, limited strike threats and generally calling off strikes at the last moment. The assumption appears to have been that we have decent governments that only occasionally need reminding to do the right thing. In fact we have corrupt governments that only work to further enrich themselves and their elite friends. They rarely, if ever, actually implement any agreements that they have signed with the trade unions.