By Lola SERIKI- IDAHOSA
Former Vice Chairman Nigeria Labour
Congress NLC, and General Secretary, National Union of Textile and Garment
Workers comrade Issa Aremu has reminded
state governors of the oath they took based on 1999 constitution.
He said “The governors swore an oath
based on 1999 Constitution. Chapter II of the same Constitution deals with the
Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. It says that
the duty and responsibility as well as the primary purpose of government is the
security and welfare of the people.
“The same section of the Constitution
also says that the State shall direct its policy towards ensuring among others
that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable
national (minimum) living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment,
sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens.
“ Indeed based on the spirit and
content of the Constitution, it is notonly shameful for some states to renege
on salary payments, as President Muhammed Buhari rightly observed”
He stated this in Kwara AT THE “HAJIA
HAMDALAT AREMU MEMORIAL RAMADANLECTURE”
AND STONE LAYING CEREMONY OFHAJIA HAMDALAT AREMU MOSQUE’ ORGANISED BY
THE NIGERIA UNION OF JOURNALISTS(NUJ), KWARA STATE CHAPTER ON.
According to him, WORKERS ARE NOT
SLAVES, the difference between a slave and a worker is payment of salaries.
Slaves like workers historically had jobs but had no salaries. It is a sad
commentary that most states' civil servants in particular and Nigerian workers
in general have been turned into glorified slaves as they work without pay for
months. In fact, most workers have unfortunately been turned to working beggars.
Alhamdullahi today is the 20th night of Ramadan. For many workers awe ba wen ileni!
But for God's sake, let’s pause a bit and consider the plight of that worker
who has not been paid for months. If he
or she is the breadwinner, it is clear then that the family support
collapses. Food must have been difficult
to find to feed the children with all the implications for malnutrition. Some kids must have been withdrawn from
school on account of non-payment of school fees while Sallah cloth will
necessarily elude them. Pray the family
is not sick either. Since the
breadwinner cannot meet expectation, depression logically replaces love within
the household. The options before unpaid
workers in a society without social security like Nigeria are therefore better imagined.
As a matter of fact, non-payment of salaries amounts to what I called
economicide, which means systemic destruction of lives on account of lack of
means of live hood.
WAGE DELAY AND NON-PAYMENT IS
ECONOMICCRIME
Its time Nigeria treated wage-related
crimes, non-payment, low payment, wage-diversions (so-called ghost payments) as
economic crimes!
LIVING WAGE, ANTI-CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC
DIVERSIFICATION
Anti-corruption campaign cannot be
sustained when workers do not receive adequate salaries on time. A hungry
worker is not only angry but vulnerable to graft. There is a link between
economic growth and wage payment. A well paid motivated worker will definitely
be productive worker. President Obama as part of the efforts to revive American
economy, raised minimum wage from $7.25an hour to $10.10 an hour in 2015 and
will be increased to $20 per hour in2020. Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
(MAN) had raised the alarm about low demand for locally produced goods, leading
to high inventories and low capacity utilization. Nigeria can only diversify
its economy if workers as consumers are well
paid to patronize locally produced goods and services.
WAGES, DISCIPLINE AND PRODUCTIVITYWhen
workers are well paid, then employerscan demand for increased productivity and
discipline. On the other hand, theworker must satisfy the conditions between
him and the employer in what is notprohibited under Sharee‘ah. Allaah The
Almighty said (what means): {O you whohave believed, fulfill [all] contracts.}[Quran
5:1]
The worker must also perform the work
that is assigned to him perfectly.Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Ya‘la narrated on the
authority of ‘Aa’ishah that theProphet ,
said: “Verily, Allah loves that when anyone of you does something hedoes it
perfectly.”
COMMENDATION FOR PRESIDENT BUHARI Given
the importance of wage payment for national development, all arms of
governments, namely the executive, judiciary and the National Assembly are
expected to declare a State of emergency on the current unacceptable crisis of
compensation in the country. It is note worthy that only President Muhammadu
Buhari has repeatedly called a spade a spade anddamned governors who had
refused to pay salaries. Addressing State House staff, last Wednesday President
Muhammadu Buhari again spoke the mind of labour that it "was a national
disgrace" that most states of the federation couldn’t pay salaries of
their workers. Some of the salaries owing governors are simply shameless and
disgraceful as President Buhari rightly observed.
SHAME DEBTOR-GOVERNORS All Nigerians
must condemn who everdenies workers their legitimate earnings based on any
excuse. One of theGovernors is Ondo
State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who barefaced recently declared that "Ondo
state is broke, I can’t pay workers". Governor Mimiko and his like
debtor-Colleagues should rather announce their resignations and offer apologies
for running aground their states and bankrupt such that they cannot pay
salaries of their poor workers. Regrettably the Ondo Governor dared to shout
down the protesting workers and even threatened them with mass sack if they
persist in their legitimate struggle and did not return to work. It seems some
of these governors are either from Afghannistan orso-called ISIS where might
and terror not Justice reign supreme. These Governorsare certainly not the same
elected governors envisaged by Nigerian 1999 constitution. Niger state
Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, has recentlyannounced that he can also no
longer pay salaries.
FREQUENTLY SPREAD LIES BY
DEBTORGOVERNORS
One frequently advertised claim of the
shameless Governors aboutnon-payment is the falling oil revenue and declining
federal allocations. Againas President Buhari asked; when the oil revenue was
in surplus what did these states do with the surplus? Surpluses went to
corruption. Even now at 38dollars per barrel, and huge funds looted, Nigeria is
still a rich country, albeit with poor people. There is no justification
whatsoever for non-paymentof salaries of workers just as no Governor has said
he is denied his pay not totalk of that of their successors who collect fat
monthly pension. As we can seegovernor Fayase of Ekiti is even unacceptably richer
than the state, yet hedefaults on salary payments.
COMMEND THE STATES THAT PAY AS AT
WHENDUE
It is commendable that some Governors
keep to their oaths of office, respectthe spirit of the constitution about
welfare and security of the citizens andpay salaries as at when due. Labour
salutes Comrade Governor of Edo state whonot only pay salaries promptly but
commendably raised minimum pay to N25000.Definitely if there is the will, there
would be the way for the governorswilling to respect the constitution. There is
enough for the needs of themasses of the working people, but not enough for the
greed of their rulingelite.
NO PAY, NO WORK I commend the Workers
of Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo states who have risen in protests against non-payment of
salaries. State councils of NLC and TUC who condone non-payment of salaries are
doing adis service to their members and have no business parading as workers'
representatives. As you point one finger, remember that four other fingers are
pointed back at you.
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