We Need Active Trade Unions and an Electoral Alliance to Win Workers’ Demands!

Experience across the world has repeatedly shown that we can only improve our lives and those of the working peoples when there is an active alliance between the trade unions and a Labour Party or a similar party. Even when a pro-labour party is successful in the elections, trade union action is necessary to ensure that the pro-worker manifesto is actually implemented.

Recently we have seen major strikes in the area councils of the FCT and in Ogun State. In each case, implementation of the national minimum wage was one of the core demands. In a number of other states the minimum wage has yet to be implemented, over a year after it became law. This clearly demonstrates that we need trade union action including strikes and widespread solidarity action to ensure that pro-worker laws are actually implemented promptly.

We need to demanding a closer and more active alliance between the Labour Party (or alternative coalition) and the trade unions including the NLC and TUC.  We need to demand that this alliance is introduced at every level within the two organisations.  We need the trade unions to be actively working to re-build such a coalition at all levels and we need the coalition to adopt and actively support the implementation of the NLC’s Charter of Workers Demands and Chapter 2 of the Federal Constitution.

The Charter of Workers Demands covers Education, Health Care, Living Wages, Prioritization of Workers’ Welfare, Management of Nigeria’s Natural Resources, Industrialization of the National Economy, Physical Security, Social Protection and Good Governance.

On the minimum wage the Charter demands a: “Reasonable Living National Minimum Wage for Nigerian Workers and the Review of the same periodically as the national economic situation demands.”

This demand requires the full implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage now! We also need a cost of living allowance and an annual uplift of the minimum wage at least in line with the cost of living.  We need the trade unions and the NLC/TUC to provide the necessary solidarity to ensure that it is implemented in all states.

Such an active alliance between the trade unions and an electoral coalition is necessary if we are to reduce poverty, inequality, corruption and the resulting high levels of insecurity. We need active trade union support to enable the Labour Party or similar coalition to win elections. We then need active campaigns by the trade unions to ensure that any elected representatives are held to account and implement the agreed manifesto including the full Charter of Workers Demands and Chapter 2 of the Federal Constitution. Experience has shown that we will also require robust trade union strike action with appropriate active solidarity to ensure that laws like the minimum wage are fully and promptly implemented in all states.