Strike actions are a legitimate right of the trade union movement to seek a redress of economic hardship, and anti-worker policies that are injurious to the socio and economic wellbeing of the people, General Secretary of African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, Akhator Odigie, has said.

Odigie said parliament must use its parliamentary functions to serve and protect citizens, not to gaslight victims seeking to survive.

He added: “The ITUC-Africa is a pan-African trade union organisation that represents 17 million working women and men in 52 African countries, including Nigeria.

“We have received information from our affiliates in Nigeria – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that the Nigerian Parliament, particularly the Senate, through its utterances and actions, is gaslighting the country’s organised labour for merely taking industrial actions that they were forced to undertake to protect their members from biting socioeconomic hardship.”

Odigie stated that following the statement credited to the Senate President, there are concerns that the Senate’s utterances represent covert scenario-building and establishment of pretexts to punish and harm trade unions for undertaking legitimate, patriotic and democratic actions to protect their human, labour, social and economic rights.

He added: “Mr. Senate President, ITUC-Africa, expresses serious concern over your recent characterisation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) nationwide strike as economic sabotage.

“We found such assertions are unfounded and detrimental to the values of democracy and the spirit of patriotism that many Nigerians uphold.

“The ITUC-Africa monitored and followed the processes before, during, and after the industrial action, and we remain seized by the processes. From our monitoring of the events, we observed that the industrial action was avoidable, especially as Nigeria’s organised labour demonstrated firm commitment towards open, effective and inclusive dialogue and negotiation. We also observed that Nigeria’s organised labour’s communication with the government, its members, and the public was regular, precise regarding their demands, and conciliatory regarding its readiness to conclude the negotiations and reach a binding agreement.”

ITUC-Africa reiterated that the industrial action, which commenced on June 3rd and put on hold for one week on the 4th, was a lawful and justified response to the Federal Government’s failure to address critical issues affecting Nigerian workers, adding, “These issues include unresolved national minimum wage negotiations, unjust electricity tariff hikes, and discriminatory consumer classifications. The strike action is a legitimate manifestation of the workers’ frustration with the daily economic difficulties and declining working conditions.”

His words: “Victims of socioeconomic hardships seeking survival must never be gaslighted and labelled as enemies of the state. Besides, as representatives of the people, the National Assembly must understand and respect its citizens’ grievances. Industrial actions in the form of strikes, protests, pickets and work-to-rule are fundamental industrial and democratic rights. They are essential tools for facilitating industrial harmony and productivity and holding authorities accountable. They must never be criminalised, as your recent utterance seems to suggest.”

Odigie declared that Nigerian workers and people must be given the needed fiscal support to cope with their current biting socioeconomic woes.

“Therefore, ITUC-Africa appeals that you use your good offices to genuinely and effectively mediate in the negotiation process to ensure an amicable and binding agreement on the contending issues. The struggling Nigerians look up to your leadership and support,” he said.