By Femi Oyelola
Industrial action, also called labor strike is work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work and usually takes place in response to employee grievances.
Over the years, Nigeria has witnessed a sizeable magnitude of labor agitations in virtually all sectors of the economy.
In recent times, industrial action has become a serious phenomenon in the country to the extent that the economy is often plunged into chaos and the masses end up bearing the burden of the incessant strike actions by workers in various sectors of the economy.
Investigations revealed that strikes were seen to have ambivalent effects. The effects were both positive and negative. They were of positive value when workers demanded better conditions of service were met.
On the other hand, employees suffer the consequences of strikes when some lose their jobs, lives, and entitlements in the process.
In Nigeria, there is always an increase in the inflationary rate any moment workers’ demand for wage increase is granted whether in the private or public work sector, prices of goods and services do rise accordingly.
The country suffers serious economic setback in the wake of any industrial strike action. Therefore, strikes have adverse negative consequences on the economy of the society at large.
A resident of Tudun Wada in Kaduna State, Mohammed Ibrahim, responding to Weekend Peoples Daily investigation, opined that some unnecessary strikes by unions of different organizations each time they have misunderstandings with their management are worrisome, adding that it’s wrong for the unions, be they ASUP, ASUU, EEUN, or even the NLC and others, to act that way.
He stressed that just because they are fighting for the interests of their members doesn’t mean they have the liberty to make ordinary citizens suffer in their attempt to force the government or their management to listen to them.
“As for me, I’m not saying they shouldn’t fight for the rights of their members, but they should always consider the plight of other citizens during their so-called strikes or protests.
“For example, the electricity union denied us, the citizens of Kaduna, electricity simply because their management sacked over 900 staff members. How does the sacking of their members concern us as customers?
“This, to me, is a problem between them and their management, not between them and the customers. Denying us electricity in the name of pressing their demands is unfair.
“I pay my bill every month, so I see no reason why I should be denied electricity. I think their action is unfair, and we as customers deserve not only an apology but even compensation for the damages many people incurred,” Ibrahim said.
In his reaction, the Deputy Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Mr. Leo Atakpu, surmised that Nigerians live in a country where people just catch on to situations and take advantage of others.
Going down history lane, Mr. Atakpu said, strikes were resorted to as a last resort by Labour unions, but now strikes are deployed by Labour unions as a means to get employers to give them what they want at the detriment of the generality of the people.
“What I mean by this is that organizations that are in essential services like electricity, health workers, and even teachers are supposed to look for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms like industrial arbitration courts between them and their employers and very often between them and the government. “
Mr. Atakpu advised Labour unions in Nigeria to act responsibly because citizens have seen situations where most of the Labour unions are compromised.
He lamented that unionists today are either romancing with the government in power or appendages of opposition political parties.
“So, the Labour union must redefine and relocate its presence or usefulness in the lives of workers who are members of the Union.
“The leadership of trade unions in this country needs some serious introspection.
“Nigeria Labour laws are now being operated for selfish interest, for individual interest, and in most cases even for the leadership of the union.
“I say this without any fear or any doubt. Because as a former Labour leader myself I know how we operated.
“In our times when we call out workers for a strike, we mean it, until our demands are met, we will not go back to work.
“And the issues we put on the table are issues that are germane to the interest of not just the worker but also to the interest of the generality of the public.
“Why should, For instance, electricity workers or Health workers in the general hospital proceed on strike over issues of salaries?
“So in the Latter Day unionism, we find that labor leaders call for a strike in the morning, and before you go to bed, the strike has been called off.
“Sometimes they just want to give the impression that they are also labor leaders, not that they have the interest of the workers they represent at heart.
“But when workers give their leaders the go-ahead to declare a strike and you know that you people work in essential sectors, my advice is that you should resort to industrial arbitration court to resolve such a dispute.
“Electricity workers, health workers, and essential services workers are not to cripple essential services just because you have a dispute with your management.
“That said, I think it is important that employers of labor also act responsibly. You can’t employ people and own them arrears of salaries, or they have some entitlements that you are refusing to pay them, or you have a collective bargaining agreement that you are observing in britches.
“Very often what leads to certain strikes in the country is that irresponsible government leaders and officials enter into an agreement with these Labour leaders and they work away from that meeting and those agreements are not implemented for some ten, fifteen, or twenty years until other rounds of strikes are called just to remind the government that those agreements have not been respected.
“Government at all levels, be it federal, state, or local, should ensure that if you enter into an agreement with trade unions, you should respect, comply and implement that agreement.
“The situation where the government goes into an agreement with trade unions and while you just turn your back, the government itself is doing other things, that is irresponsible leadership at all levels.
“So, my advice to Labour leaders in this country is that they should put their house in order as they have lost their appeal before the public.
“Before now, when you hear that Labour leaders were going to declare a strike, people moved, people became worried and concerned, and people approached the government and said, please don’t allow this to happen.
“But now we are in an era where labor leaders call for strikes and behave irresponsibly.
“They will not even wait for workers to come out of their establishment before they pass their back to call off the strike. The truth is, strikes have been deployed in this country, in this part of the world, it has made a mess of the use of that tool.
“Now it has been used like a weapon rather than a last resort to draw government attention to the plight of workers”
Similarly, the Acting Executive Director of Legal Awareness for Nigeria Women ( LAWN), Mrs. Hanatu Ahuwan, said Strike actions by various labor unions in Nigeria have become an everyday thing and most times without achieving much, that even when any union says they are going on strike you begin to ask yourself if it will yield any results.
Strike actions by unions, according to her, serve as a powerful tool for collective bargaining and advocacy on their issues.
Mrs Ahuwan explained that the primary purposes of strikes include demanding and negotiating better wages and benefits for workers, Improving working conditions for employees, Enforcing labor agreements, and pushing for policy reforms affecting workers’ rights, employment laws, or economic conditions.
“When you analyze the various strike actions undertaken by different labor unions, you will notice that these strikes can have both positive and negative effects on the general public, depending on the sector involved and the duration of the strike.
“The positives can be seen as the achievement of the purpose of the strike. Sometimes, the negative impacts put a heavier burden on the people, especially the poor.
“No matter how well-intentioned a strike is, it sometimes causes disruptions to essential services. For example, this is the third day of the strike by staff of Kaduna Electric for indiscriminate sacking of workers and we’re all suffering having no electricity in these 3 days.
“Imagine the number of small businesses who rely on electricity for their businesses who cannot afford to power their businesses with fuel. Even for big businesses, it’s not a small matter of relying on alternative sources of power, especially with the different bands of electricity currently operating in the country.
When there is a strike by healthcare personnel, the public experiences a halt or delay in healthcare services, especially those who cannot afford private hospitals.
“These sometimes lead to loss of lives and delayed emergency care. What about strikes by ASSU or NUT? These cause long disruptions in education affecting students’ learning and academic progress.
“Another big impact of strikes on the people is the hike in prices of commodities. Once marketers hear of a strike for a salary increase, they just hike up prices.
“Even if there is a salary increase, is it every member of the public that is working in those institutions? Strikes may be for a good cause, but we should always try to find a balance in how it is being conducted to reduce the hardship on the general public while looking for effective ways to send the message to the targeted institution relevant to the needed response.”She observed.
An Activist and Concerned Citizen, Yusuf Isiyaku Goje, submitted that strikes have become a potent weapon for labor unions to grab the government’s attention, though legitimate, but at what cost?
Goje lamented that unfortunately, innocent ordinary people are often left to bear the brunt of these industrial actions or strikes.
He added that small businesses and livelihoods suffer irreparable damage, with unaccountable economic losses and no safety net.
The unions’ justification for industrial action may be valid, but taking it to the extreme is unfair to those who are not directly or indirectly affected.
“These Unions must recognize that one person’s rights end where another begins. After achieving their goals, do they consider the collateral damage to businesses and livelihoods of those who lack the same bargaining power as they do?
“Union leaders must enhance their negotiation skills to avoid resorting to frequent strikes. Rather than waiting for the next reason to go on strike, they should engage proactively offering pragmatic solutions to shape policy design and implementation.
“Also, the Union leaders must work to shift the public narrative that they’re self-serving. They must ensure that strikes only affect their intended targets, not ordinary citizens struggling to make a living.
“It’s time for unions to abandon the “we’re suffering, so everyone must suffer” mentality. By adopting a more nuanced approach, they can balance their interests with the greater good,” Goje submitted..
