Workers Expect Much From Buhari – TUC President Says

9 years ago

Workers Expect Much From Buhari – TUC President Says

Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama is the president of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC). In this interview with Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, he spoke on anti-labour practices going on in South African companies operating in Nigeria. He also spoke on other labour related issues

What are you doing about the allegation of anti-labour activities in some South African companies in Nigeria?
This is rampant in some companies in Nigeria, particularly telecommunications companies. These people have connived with some people in the Nigerian government to wreck havoc on the Nigerian workers by not allowing them to form or join labour unions. What we are saying is that if we put it side by side with what is happening in South Africa, those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. We feel that if the South African government does not quickly address this and there is reprisal attack from Nigeria, it would be too bad. We have been helping South Africa since the period of apartheid; Nigerian workers invested their salaries, and contributed their salaries for the emancipation of South Africa. So, for South Africa to now bite the fingers that fed them is very sad. It is not that Nigeria doesn’t have youths that are unemployed, you don’t take advantage of unemployment to wreck havoc on foreign nationals in your country. It is barbaric, if the South African Government cannot do anything about it, the Nigerian Government should rise to the occasion otherwise it would get to a point that Nigeria would revenge, and it would not augur well for brotherhood in Africa.

Have you discussed the anti-labour issue in these companies with the government?
We have, which is why I said that they are doing it with the connivance of top government functionaries, who have interest in these companies. So, we would keep fighting, it is aluta continua until we get our victory.

Would you support the call that the Nigerian Government should evacuate Nigerians in South Africa despite the level of unemployment in the country?
Evacuating Nigerians in South Africa would be a Herculean task because Nigerians in South Africa are running into millions. That is why we call on the government of South Africa to address the issue because it would not be easy for the Nigerian government to evacuate our people there. Part of their complaints in South Africa is that Nigerians there have hijacked their jobs and have taken over their economy, is this tenable? It is not tenable because the Nigerians there are self-employed. I am not sure Nigerians are working for their government. I don’t think there is any international law that prevents someone from legitimately engaging in a business.

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How would you describe the condition of Nigerian workers, especially the senior civil servants because so much has been said about their poor working condition?
We have seen the campaign promises of the president-elect, it is pro-masses, so the prospects for Nigerian workers in the in-coming government are high and we expect the government to fulfill their campaign promises.

We know that we have an uphill task because corruption has eaten so deep into our fabric in the country and the problem has been compounded with the fall in global prices of petroleum. There is no concerted effort to develop some of our infrastructures such as power and some other important infrastructures to create more jobs for Nigerians. Being a modest human being, we believe that the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) would bring on board people that are patriotic, who are ready to serve this country rather than looking forward to the country to serve them, we are rich. Our agricultural sector alone can feed us not to talk of developing our solid mineral resources, and our tourism potentials. By the time we put our acts together, I am sure we would be on the right track.

Talking about the last national conference, do you think the in-coming government would implement its reports?
That is the problem; you know that the in-coming government refused to participate in the conference. So, it would take a lot of magnanimity on the part of the new government to look at the products of that conference, and see the way it was packaged. Don’t look at the messenger, but look at the message. We urge the in-coming government to look at the message and see if there are certain things they can implement and do it. It is not good for the government to use some of these things for campaigns; you just folded the documents of the conference without doing anything about it until the last hour. We are at a crossroads and we strongly believe that the in-coming government would look at the issues there and the resolutions we have made.