The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), founded in 1978 following a merger of the Nigerian Trade Union Congress (NTUC), Labour Unity Front (LUF), United Labour Congress (ULC) and Nigerian Workers’ Council (NWC), is witnessing its biggest challenge yet in its 33-year history. The union, with 29 affiliates and a membership base of four million, is considered one of the largest in the world, but its latest decision to sack its general secretary has put its reputation on the line. TORDUE SALEM writes.
The Scandinavian workers who fought for May 1 to be recognised by governments across the world as Workers’ Day in 1890 must be quivering in their hoary graves as Africa’s most populous labour union is rocked by crisis.
The unrest in the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) House, which appeared to have been settled, is far from buried. It is just another internal wrangling waiting to tear the union apart.
It all started on March 14, 2011, when the president of the NLC, Comrade Abdulwaheed Ibrahim Omar, asked his general secretary, John Odah, to proceed on a prolonged leave. ?
Omar’s memo read: “The National Administrative Council (NAC) of the Congress, at its meeting on Friday 11th March, 2011, at the NLC national headquarters, Abuja, decided that you (Odah) proceed on your accumulated leave with effect from Friday, March 18, 2011.”
The letter warned Mr. Odah to hand over to Comrade Owei Lakemfa, who would act in his stead.
But Odah, in a reply dated March 15, 2011, wanted clarifications.
“I wish to point out, Comrade President, that while the leave had a starting date, it has no date of my resumption. In other words, how many days, weeks or months is the accumulated leave?” he asked.
Odah’s reaction only sparked a flurry of letters. In another letter dated March 16, 2011, the NLC president decided to clarify his earlier letter.
“You (Odah),” he wrote, “are to proceed on your accumulated unspent leave spanning the years 2007 to 2010, from Friday March 18, 2011 – September 2, 2011.”
But Odah was still in the dark. In another reply dated March 18, 2011, he demanded a clarification, insisting that he was fit and healthy enough to continue at his stable, as against what he said were claims by the NLC boss that he was sent away for health reasons.
He wrote: “I must state clearly that my health status cannot be the reason for your current actions. As you are very much aware, in the last 12 months alone, we have organised and held 10 meetings of the National Administrative Council (NAC), five meetings of the Central Working Committee (CWC) and five meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
“My health status was not an issue at any of these meetings, in the sense that I worked without any complaints of ill-health in organising these meetings.”
According to Odah, the NLC’s public statement about his health condition was false and meant to tarnish his reputation before the workers and the general public.
“I am convinced beyond any shadow of doubt that to say that I have been asked to proceed on my accumulated leave because of my health condition is a deliberate ploy to deny me the right to continue to discharge my statutory roles and functions as general secretary of the Congress. I state unequivocally that I am in a proper and fit medical condition and, indeed, any other condition to continue to discharge my statutory roles and functions as general secretary of Congress”.
He further offered to face any medical test by his employers to prove his fitness. ?
“I demand that a competent medical board be constituted to establish my health status. Until this is done, I ask that the issue of my medical situation canvassed in the Daily Trust newspaper of March 15, 2011, and LEADERSHIP newspaper of March 15, 2011, must be retracted; and I must be allowed to return to my position as general secretary of Congress,” he insisted.
But instead of addressing his concerns, the NLC president wrote a week later extending the period of his forced leave.
The letter read: “You will recall that the letter to you dated March 16, 2011, conveyed the information that the residue of your unspent leave, when confirmed from your file, shall be communicated to you. Please be informed that with the computation of your unspent leave when confirmed from your file shall be communicated to you. Please be informed that, with the computation of your unspent leave from 1999 to 2010, your resumption date now will be November 23, 2012.”
The NLC letter was followed with another strong-worded retort, revealing more on his earlier report that his seemingly intransigent scribe had actually suffered bouts of ill-health in the past and needed to ‘rest’.
“Despite your concerted efforts to assert that your personal health record was distorted by the President of NLC, the facts cannot be disputed.
“I restate, on strong authority, that early last year you encountered serious health challenges which led to the Congress sponsoring your medical trip to South Africa. You were there for three weeks and you were also placed on routine therapy on your return.
“You may also wish to recall that in mid February, 2011, you were billed to travel to South Africa as a part of a Congress delegation to the tri-lateral meeting led by Comrade Issa Aremu, Vice-President of Congress. After finalising all travel arrangements, you did not travel, after all. The reason you gave for not traveling was that your health failed you again”.
The NLC president observed a streak of insubordination on the part of Odah, saying: “I am worried about the ultimatum you gave in your letter, namely, that the publications on your medical situation in the two dailies must be retracted and that you must be allowed to return to your position as general secretary of Congress.
“Though the former stands out to be mere distraction, as investigations in due course will reveal the correct position of things. The latter gives me great concern as it tends to show your total rejection of the decision of NAC on you as evidenced by your refusal to comply with the NAC directive that you hand over to the acting general secretary before you commenced your leave.”
Despite a litany of rebuttals from Comrade Odah about his health and other accusations of rebellion against the Labour establishment, matters shot to a head on May 24, 2011, the day the NLC terminated his appointment.
The letter signed by President Omar, read: “This is to inform you that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has decided that, in line with ongoing reorganisation in Congress, your services are no longer required with effect from Tuesday May 24, 2011, as general secretary.
“The Accounts Department has been directed to compute and pay you your entitlements, including payments in lieu of notice and the end of service benefits accruable to you.”
Subsequently, the said entitlements, worth over N7million, were paid to the sacked unionist on July 14, 2011.
?Mr. Odah, however, rejected the money, insisting that due process must be followed.
The fatal implication of this is that a likely litigation from the sacked scribe could undermine the loyalty of workers to the NLC, and the backing of the larger populace.
International transactions and contracts the NLC and its affiliates have entered into may also suffer, as business partnership confidence could be eroded.? ?
The NLC crisis could also alienate the traditional institutions that are sympathetic to the causes of Nigerian workers and divert the umbrella body from its most important struggle: a reasonable minimum wage.?????? ?
A senior Canadian unionist, Mr. Paul Puritt, in a letter he wrote in June, warned that the action of the NLC President may affect the reputation of the workers’ body.
“The NLC has a reputation, not only as the largest trade union body on the African continent, but also abroad, as a champion of workers’ rights. Your actions concerning John Odah, you must realise, lack any semblance of due process and are widely seen as undermining the legitimacy of and credibility of the Nigerian Labour Congress,” he said.
The NLC needs to watch its steps and back. It might just be shooting itself in the foot, and ultimately play into the hands of government, which it must always confront? to get the best deal for workers, and all the Nigerian people by extension. And it cannot do that with a divided house, and fight from within.
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