20th March, 2012
The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, has kicked against a controversial bill at the Senate which seeks to compel labour leaders in the country to call for a vote among their members before embarking on any industrial strike or street protests.
CDWR, in a statement signed by Chinedu Bosah, the organisation’s Publicity Secretary, argued that such a bill is “an orchestrated act to undermine workers and the ordinary people in general.”
The bill was sponsored by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri who represents Bayelsa West at the Senate.
Coming from President Goodluck Jonathan’s kinsman and in the wake of the successful anti-subsidy protests nationwide, it was seen as a way of preventing further protests against unpopular government decisions.
“The idea that working masses have no right to resist anti-people policy simply because they are not senators or political office holders is wrong. Hence, all matters that affect workers including wage are political as much as economic. Is it not political that Senators earn more than N20 million per month but grudgingly concede to a paltry N18,000 minimum wage for workers, whose implementation is still being adulterated?” CDWR said and called on Nigerians to resist the passage of obnoxious bill.
—Simon Ateba