Ben Talks

March 25, 2023

Press Statement

CDWR WELCOMES THE RENEWED INTEREST OF THE NLC TO RESIST CASUALISATION

The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) welcomes the renewed interest of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to resist casualization at workplaces. This indication was in a statement credited to Comrade Joe Ajaero, NLC President, during his visit to some industrial unions in Lagos as reported by Guardian newspaper on March 14 2023.

Casualisation is an anti-labour and indecent work practice that puts workers in a precarious and slave condition in the quest for more profit by the capitalist business owners. In the last 15 years, casualization and precarious work practices have not only been entrenched but also increased from 55% to 70%, as a proportion of workforce, according to CDWR study. Though, it is more widespread in the private sector, there also elements of it in the public sector.

In the report, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero correctly attributed the casualization scourge to policies of the government and the Organised Private Sector. While it is true that the capitalist government and the private sector are responsible for growing casualization, we make bold to state that some of the affiliate unions do not lift a finger to challenge the evil. As a matter of fact, some leaders of some of the affiliate unions are complicit including assisting business owners to entrench casualization in factories and workplaces for their own selfish interest.

Casualisation has been so entrenched to the extent that most workers in traditionally privileged and better-paid sectors like banks, oil & gas, aviation etc., are not spared. There are also many factories with high numbers of casuals and in some cases over 80 percent of the workforce are casuals. Yet, trade unions are organized in those factories, overseeing the extinction of the same union they lead in as much they are paid by the management. It is also instructive for the NLC to note that the scourge of casualisation has also started creeping into the public sector, a sector that is hitherto known for job security.

The Food and Chemical industries have the highest number of casual workers. This is not only because they are private sector based but also partly because the leadership of the Food Union (National Union of Food, Beverage and To***co Employees) and Chemical Union (National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees) consciously assist management to implement casualization and/or deliberately refuse to challenge it. So, it is an irony that both Presidents of the Food Union and Chemical unions spoke against casualization at the meeting with Joe Ajaero but never did anything tangible to resist it in their industries.

For instance, through solidarity interventions in workplaces, we discovered how labour leaders in Sumal Foods in Ibadan with the backing of the state and national leadership of the Food Union set up outsourcing companies which employ casual and poorly paid workers for the company while they get juicy commission in return. Following the solidarity of the CDWR with the striking workers of Sumal Foods in October 2018, the Food Union leadership connived with the management to launch attacks on our members. Since then Comrade Abbey Trotsky (Oyo State CDWR Coordinator) has faced persecution from the state at the behest of Sumal. This includes several arrests of Abbey by the Police and DSS and subsequent arraignment on trumped-up charges at the Magistrate Court. Not only that, the outsourcing companies whose owners include the corrupt Food union leaders also filed 2 frivolous civil cases against comrade Abbey at the Industrial Court.

We hold that fighting casualisation with such brands of pro-management and self-serving union leaders is a serious challenge that must be confronted by the NLC national leadership. For us, this further underscores the need for a fighting and democratic trade union leadership who consistently protect the interest of workers and accountable to them at all levels.

Therefore, CDWR supports the plan to set up the anti-casualisation committee as the first step in the fight against the menace. We urge the NLC leadership to broaden the committee and replicate the same in all the states of the federation. However there is a danger that such a committee will simply be populated by bureaucrats who are already compromised by employers and may not be willing to lead a serious struggle. Therefore to succeed, such a committee should be democratically constituted by activists from the rank and file and its activities must be subjected to the control of the membership. Most importantly, the struggle against casualization should also be linked to the struggle for a living wage, better working conditions, and a safe working environment.


SIGNED:

Comrade Rufus Olusesan
National Chairperson

Comrade Chinedu Bosah National Publicity Secretary

NIGERIA 2023 ELECTION THE LESSON

The election is gone and we are back to ourselves. All agitations, supports and fights will reduce. They've used us against ourselves as usual. Their strategy has always been working on us and as gullible as we have always been we fall for it again, till another 4 years.

It's a system of rinse and repeat every 4 years. Do you remember the event that caused the June 12? The one that brought in Obasanjo in 1999, the election that brought in Yar'dua and the election that ejected Goodluck Jonathan out of office and installed Buhari in 2015? They all have a same line of narration; 'WE WANT A NEW GOVERNMENT THAT WILL BE LOVER OF THE MASSES'. In fact, most of them played the game of being poor and wearing one shoe, one clothe, one wrist watch, one sandal and so on, painting themselves as one of the poor masses so as to appeal to our emotions. In this election, one of them did but it's quite unfortunate that the result didn't favor him yet just as it has always done for those before him. Although he's still in court for his acclaimed mandate, we await his victory.

Despite the fact that we actually need a new government with the level of our consciousness, we are missing out a lot of things. We clamour for a new government without enough political education. The elites kept using our ignorance every 4 years to their advantages. After these electioneering period, I'm very sure that none of most agitators will take a step forward to even understand what does election really entails. How do we organise and plan towards ruling a good governance for our people. What is the best system we can make use a Nigerian for a better tomorrow? Instead, they feel the battle is over and it's time to relax, my dear this is the real time for the war!

The elites used the normal strategy of divide and rule against us and make us believe that we are the one that's actually against ourselves through intertribal hatred and causing war between ourselves. Please, this is not actually the case. We heard of cases where Igbos were denying themselves their franchise in the South-East and South-South, Yorubas denying themselves their franchise in South-West (remember how Adeleke was denied in 2018 before he reclaimed it?). It's actually not us but them. If you kill your neighbors today because s/he is from another tribe, believe me, those that caused it, both the one you are fighting for and the one your neighbor is fighting for has none of their families in this country, and if they do, you can't even see their family members talkless of associating with them, so why fight that your neighbors when what we need is unity among ourselves.

Just as we always have them, the opportunists came as usual to clamour for our help to claim the mandate, some were beneficials of this game but the major target lost the bid. Can we examine the opportunists that have ever taken the power and their results? Sheu Shagari was an opportunist, Abiola could not get his mandate, Obasanjo was an opportunist and wanted to turn the position to his family's heritage, most of us experience that of Jonathan with no shoes, and Buhari is here with his cows, we have seen how much the cows have feasted on us for the past 8 years, has opportunists really be of help? Opportunists without the right ideology to rule the nation!

So sad, one the cabals we frown at has won the mandate again and many is planning to japa, have you asked yourself what will happen when your visa expires over there? Where are you going? Your means of survival? Don't forget that calamities happens everywhere as we see them in newspapers ranging from racism, terrorism, war, natural disasters, bad governance in some just as we have them here, none of these places are heaven, even if they are, you are first a Nigerian. I know of a friend that lost his job over there coz he was a Nigerian. Would it not be better we face it together? But the reality is we both know you ain't going anywhere, it's just words of mouth, so let's face the challenges!

The problem is not just the government, but you and I. You and I planning to leave the country because our choice of candidate did not win. You and I that wants to abandon the country coz nothing is working. You and I that is leaving the country because we are scared of the hardships that will follow but refused to stay to fight it. You and I that is running away coz we've set tribal war amidst ourselves.

Do you actually think things will be better if we split? It must be an illusion because it is the same set of leaders that we don't want that will still take over our different splitted would be countries and the problems continues. Imagine the government in your state, are they the same in every state. We celebrate salaries as if the governor is doing us favor, meanwhile it's just his responsibility. We celebrate road construction as just as the governor is doing a great job, meanwhile it's mere responsibility. All these could happen because they knew, we've not been getting such before and use it a bait to lure us to them, meanwhile we are oblivion to some unpopular decisions they are making that is driving the state backward. The status of education in the state, increase in public institutions' fee, irregular and unfair tax charges, temporary projects that are consuming funds, loans from banks, public private partnership that is eating deep in the state facilities, governor's security vote, irregular electricity bill, water distribution (most state don't even have it anymore) and lots more. What we rather celebrate is salary payment while social amenities that would make life comfortable for us are no more.

It is however important to understand that the battle for a better living is not over yet. It's just the beginning. It is not only for the political season every 4 years but for the years after. It is important we develop ourselves politically, educate ourselves ideologically to direct our steps on the right path to tread for a better government and of course there is no other one than a socialist transformation of the country because capitalism has over stayed his welcome in the country.

It is quite imperative to note that the hardship that will befell the country would be I evitable unless we stand to resist it. He planned to remove a none-existing subsidy on the fuel which indicates that the price of the fuel will skyrocket. He promised student loan which means a possible increase in payment of fees in different public institutions. He as well made it known that he will practice a public private partnership and this is pointing fingers to privatisation of public utilities. These are different from different plans of different governors of the states.

Obviously, those plans are a pointer to the fact that the rise in the level of hardship is quite inevitable. But these can only be resisted by the unity of the masses. The labour unions, trade unions, student unions, parents, youths, artisans, be it Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba need to unite and be ready to resist these kind of decisions. It is only by getting ourselves ready to reject these decisions our aim and objective this election can be achieved.

Our candidates might not have won but our decision for a good governance and better society can be achieved through our unity and getting ready to be involved in every moves of the government in power.

It is much more important to know what we want. And this is where educating ourselves with a well grounded knowledge of a socialist political understanding is inevitable. It is important to train ourselves with this ideology to guide our steps towards achieving a better society of which the socialist ideology provides. It is only true a self emancipation that we can achieve a better society and this can only be done by educating ourselves in a socialist ideology.

The story remains unclear!
You will never understand.

This is what they call "oro nla ti n sori agba kodo" meaning "a situation that kept the elders in awe".

I will like to emphasise that it is at your own peril if you fight for these politicians and harm yourself! In fact, it is at your lose of you loose a community or person for this election.

Imagine, Labour Party would argue and fight that election was rigged in Oyo State for APC presidential candidate and he won. Not only in Oyo State but in other states too but same Labour Party governorship candidate in Oyo State has endorsed the ruling party in the state, PDP, that rigged the election against their candidate at the federal level.

How sad!

The tactics used by the elites currently is divide and rule and they are achieving it! We are fighting ourselves already, we are hating ourselves already, they don't want our unity! They have their plans against us. They know our unity is dangerous for their sustenance.

We should unite!
Drop all the hates and wake up!

Nigeria wake up!

A student wrote "He achieved all these before age 27, he is 39yrs now"

But I asked: "can you achieve the minimum of these qualifications at that age?"

One thing I am sure of is that they are of the same caliber. Finding his root, it will surely link back to the same person we are rejecting, we only need few more thorough investigation to get hold of our claims. These people are the same. Either Sanwolu, Jandor or the so called GRV. We just dey cap and camouflage for them. Why didn't he school here in Nigeria all of his life and let ASUU strike first deal with him. Then he will really understand what we are going through. Or why would these politicians sponsor their children abroad to school while degenerating our education here. I'm sure his parents are one of them, if not his parents, his grandparents or as the case maybe.

My brothers and sisters, he really do not worth it, none of these self concerned politicians worth it and neither is he the solution to our problems. We are the solution to our problems ourselves. A socialist transformation of our state, our country is the solution to our problems. Unless he agrees to make use of a socialist transformation of the country that is the real party ideology that formed Labour Party, he is nothing but a craft of the so called set of evil doer we are chasing away. Obviously, he can't! I'm sure he doesn't even understand the party ideology, he only want to make use of the platform as an opportunist. Being apathy to the forthcoming election is even better than supporting any of the candidates. Notwithstanding, ensure you vote!

Imagine ASUU being on strike and the speaker of House of Representatives snapping himself schooling abroad while the people he's representing here are outside school. That problem of last strike still lingers, I urge you to be prepared.

In as much as we participate in this election, I urge us as students, youths, parents and workers to keep our mind prepared and be ready to fight. A bigger war looms beyond our expectations. The one that is bigger than APC VS PDP OR LP VS APC or a fight for who owns the thrown of our leadership seat both at the state and federal level.

The journey of the next 4 years would speak a lot in this country. However, let's prepare ourselves to resist all forms of oppression and programs that would deprive us of our right, privatisation, hike in school fees, attack on innocent individuals and the poor and many more especially corruption at every field.

Don't let us be surprised that after the whole election drama the first and major attacks would start from hike in pump price and hike in different institutions fees, this especially is very looming, just study the atmosphere in your schools. In fact it has started in some, such as UNN and Ibadan Polytechnic, many more is coming. I don't need to say more on hike in pump price, it's obvious every. Not just these but many more.

But to transform Nigeria the way we want it lies with you and I!

We must fight!
Fight for our right!

Happy New Week!

Happy New Month 💃🏽🕺🏾

It's another month of the embers 🤗🤗
Don't ignore your set goals, the year is not over yet, go get them💪🏾🏃🏾.

NEW MONTH 🥳
INDEPENDENCE DAY 🇳🇬