Saraki Condemns NUT Strike
July 21, 2008
21 July 2008
Posted to the web 21 July 2008
Funmi Komolafe and Demola Akinyem
Lagos
Governor Bukola Saraki has condemned the four-week old strike of the Nigeria Union of Teachers and called on all well-meaning Nigerians to do the same.
The governor who spoke through the Secretary to his Government, Alhaji Saka Onimogo at a Stakeholders Summit on Labour Administration and Employment Generation held at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies in Ilorin, Kwara blamed government, employers and labour for increasing labour disputes in the country.
He said, " Labour leadership would not seem to appreciate that strike (or its ancillaries) is an anachronism. Indeed, it is because of its antithesis to desired development that strike has been dumped as a weapon of resolving industrial conflicts , elsewhere in the world".
The governor continued, " It is against this backdrop that all well-meaning Nigerians must condemn all on-going strike actions in Nigeria, including that of the Nigeria Union of Teachers ( NUT) and the picketing threat by the Nigeria Labour Congress".
Governor Saraki said, " Government as a regulatory body, has not mustered and exerted enough and firm political will on labour issues. Government , as employer of labour and NECA have not been able to initiate and institutionalise ready mechanisms to preempt industrial conflicts arising from all wages and remuneration- related issues".
He said, " Labour is nothing better. It glorifies in venting grievances through strikes or threats of strike and picketing."
Governor Saraki said neither government, employers nor labour have given any serious thought to the "quantifiable and unquantifiable economic, social and security costs of industrial conflict resulting in strike."
However, labour minister, Dr. Hassan Lawal in his message read by his permanent secretary, Alhaji Suleiman Kassim emphasized the need for the dialogue among the social partners.
The minister said, " the principle of collective bargaining in labour and industrial relations has dialogue as its hallmark. This simply implies that between the labour and employers of labour, there should be a meeting point".
Dr. Lawal said " the era of table banging is gone and gone for good" and urged stakeholders to always try to resolve issues by dialogue.
He advised, " As stakeholders, in the project Nigeria, the survival of this country should be of paramount concern to us".