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APRIL 2, 2007 VOL. 20. NO 25

Positive Bargaining

**Ali-Modu Sheriff**

Non-confrontational unionism pays off in Borno State, thus setting an agenda for government-Labour relations
By Sani Mohammed, Maiduguri
Only recently, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Borno State Council, held its ninth State Delegates Conference where the outgoing regime headed by Comrade Garba K. Ngamdu, was adjudged the most un-confrontational labour regime ever had in the desert State.
This regime, as pundits argue, appears to be in a sharp contrast with the previous ones, especially the Zanna Shettima-led NLC which served between 1999 to 2003. The question many now ask is: which is more beneficial to Nigeria – a confrontational or non – confrontational Labour regime?
But before delving into this comparison, it is vital to make one quick reference to the comments made by Dr. Ibrahim Umara, a lecturer at the Political Science Department, University of Maiduguri and the guest speaker at the conference.
Umara had observed that, the strength and commitment of all trade unions are not to be measured by how recancitrant they look, but how much they translate their role to meaningful trade relations with their employers. “If you must go on strike, ensure that you have exhausted all available options in negotiation,” he advised.
However, Shettima sees Umara’s point of view as not sacrosanct to the realities of the Nigeria Government. In 1999, few months after he assumed power as the NLC boss in the State, the activist, the fighter and one who pursues things with extra vigour, told his congress at the Musa Usman State Secretariat that, “Nigerian Leaders do not initiate motivational incentives for workers not because they are pleased to do so, but because they do not like strike actions”.
His word: “It is our intention, at the inception of this regime not to be confrontational in our approach, but we realise that the Kachallah administration does not even recognise the importance of the State work force. To him, apart from being huge, the State wage bills are nothing but a monthly waste. We have no option but to demonstrate how important we are,” Comrade Shettima noted.
So, throughout the three years of his tenure, the NLC in the State was always at dagger – drawn with the Kachallah administration. First, it was against the compulsory sacrifice the workers were compelled to undertake by forfeiting their annual leave grant; then the next was against the compulsory deduction of nine and 13 percent from the basic salaries of officers from GL 07 and above and so on.
As a mark of achievement, the Shettima-led NLC in the State was able to persuade the Kachallah administration undertake a Staff audit where contrary to the State government’s claim that the State has a total workforce of 36,000, making it the third largest in Nigeria, the state had only 28,000 Staff strength.
With the formation of a Labour/Government Committee which had a verification sub-committee, Shettima believes that there were a lot of manipulations in the payment of the State’s wage bill.
Hear him: “Incidentally, while we have in the interim Report factually refuted the claim that high wage bills is caused by a large workforce early in the year, the New Nigerian of Thursday, 20 June 2002 at page 5 of that edition, quoted Your Excellency as complaining of the same problem. We have established that Borno State had Staff strength of only 28, 000, contrary to the 36, 000 the Government was made to believe it had”.
The NLC leader then, advised Kachallah to securitise the activities of senior officials of Ministries and parastatalls, who he alleged “both wage bills and the workforce in the employment of the State Government are over exaggerated beyond comprehension” by them. It was indeed at this period, that the true position of things, in respect to the State staff strength was established.
Comrade Shettima was said to be the brain behind the reformation of the State multi-purpose co-operative society (NLC/COT) an amalgamation of workers from various trade Unions in the State. The aim of the society according to the then Chairman, was to cushion the effects of government’s unpopular policies at the three – tiers levels of Government in the State.
Shettima: “You are all aware of the harsh economic policies – called reforms which Government is vigorously pursuing; you are also aware on how these so called reforms have been negatively impacting on all the workers. We are sincerely convinced, that through the process of the co-operative society, we can in our own little ways, generate funds with which to organise savings and loan Scheme as well as source out essential commodities at affordable prices for ourselves”.
Indeed, not too long after the consolidation of the Co-operative Society in the State, about 1000 motorcycles where distributed to the workers; these were added to other items like Registrations, coolers, food items made available to the workers of various categories in the State.
Observers have also argued that, Shettima can be credited for being one of the few NLC Leaders in the State, who have intensified efforts to sensitise workers and raised their understanding on labour matters. This was evident on the series of strike actions organised by his regime, of course against the backdrop of not just on matters relating to wage bills, but on rough government policies as well.
In fact, The Source gathered reliably that at the tail end of Kachallah’s regime, it was apparently unarguable that, the dividing line between the workers and the Government of Kachallah, could not have been in favour of the latter, consequent upon which, such disdain for the administration, was some what reflected in the voting consensus of majority of the workers.
But then, this rough industrial relationship between Kachallah and the State workforce according to political view points, may have provided Sheriff with the golden opportunity to make himself a self – styled messiah to the plight of the workers.
For example, when few weeks to the 2003 elections the Medical and Health workers were still down on tools, Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, in a special message to the striking workers, appealed to them to please resume duty since a new regime which is worker’s sensitive would soon come in board to address all their problems.
Indeed, few days after he had made this promise, the workers unanimously called off their strike; awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. However, whether or not Sheriff was able to fulfill his promise, was somewhat encapsulated in a letter written to him by Ex-NLC Leader, Dr. Zanna Shettima.
In the letter dated August, 23rd, 2004; reference no. CDE/ZS/H.A/2004/1 and addressed to His Excellency, Senator (Dr.) Ali Modu Sheriff, the Executive Governor of Borno State, the former NLC Leader who ruled between 1999 to 2003, painted a picture of gloomy and bleak future for the State, in the administration that was greeted with high hopes and expectations.
The letter which was entitled, “The Failed or Unfulfilled Campaign Promises as Threats to Democracy and Good Governance" reads:
“Your Excellency, the advent of your administration was greeted with cheers, pump and pageantry. It was perceived as a new dawn by the people of Borno State who all share new hopes and expectations, great expectation for radical departure from the immediate past regime of Dr. Mala Kachallah, which was visionless, corrupt and callously insensitive to the yearnings of the workers in the State. The people of Borno had thought that, the change of guards, was not only a sign of good tidings, but also that of salvation.
“Your Excellency, soon after your regime had finished lambasting the immediate past administration for lack of vision, it is evident, and sadly too, that the current regime has so far scored the most outrageous miscarriages of administrative activities than the wanton past Military and Civilian administrations in the State.
“If anything at all, your administration appears to have lost focus and direction, and instead has continued to be embroiled in vendetta, political victimisation and witch – hunting. This and other mal-administration so far committed by your regime, have indeed cast a bleak future for the well being of the State”.
Although there was no visible reaction from the State Government on this, The Source was told that the contents of the letter did not go down well with the Governor. In this regard according to the sources, the Governor felt it was too early to make an appraisal on a regime that was yet to cross its gestation period.
The new NLC leadership in the State, headed by Comrade Garba K. Ngamdu, a soft spoken physician; an introvert to the core; and a man who many have described as a “Silent achiever” was indeed apprehensive over the letter to the Governor. In fact one of the officials who spoke to The Source on anonymity disassociated the new Labour regime with the letter, adding that, the ex-NLC boss in the State “Was on his own”.
Two reasons according to a source may have formed the bedrock of the apprehensions against Shettima’s letter to the Governor: first, the ex – NLC Chiarman according to Z. K. Shallangwa, the State Secretary of the NLC, did not contact the NLC to get its opinion on the content; second, the letter bears no form of identity to have it traced to the NLC. “It only bears Zanna’s letter head, which means it is purely personal” he added.
To put the records straight, Comrade Ngamdu, while on a maiden courtesy call on Sheriff, dropped the idea of strong preference to dialogue and non – confrontational to the Governor, demanding for Government support and co-operation in exchange for non-confrontational approach.
Ngamdu: “We wish to appeal to His Excellency to give us his maximum support and co-operation which we believe can encourage us to remain non-confrontational in our approach. No Union would choose to be confrontational except where all the doors of dialogue are closed against it”.
Instructively, throughout Ngamdu’s tenure, his approach for pressing home worker’s demand, had seldomly transcended beyond threats. Between 2003 to 2007 when he ended his first tenure, the NLC boss had issued out about eight notice of strike actions. When asked why he ended his struggle at issuing out threats only, he replied thus:
“Each time threats of strike actions are issued, few among our demands were met. We realised how it is sometimes impossible to have all the numerous requests granted. And you can see; out of the 15 demands of the workers in the State as inherited from our predecessors, we have succeeded in persuading, not forcing the government to address 11 of them. These 11 issues were not addressed at the same time, but one after the other”.
Generally, NLC under Ngamdu’s Leadership is said to have performed better, the Head of Service of the Borno State, Dr. Bulama Malli Gubio told the gathering at the Delegates Conference that the Ngamdu led regime could not have performed less “since the State has as the Head of Service, a Labour Man.”.
However, in a sharp contrast to this conception, experts have observed that, Ngamdu could not have performed any better in the face of Government’s insensitive posture to the plight of the State Polytechnic Lectures who have been on strike for over six months.
The “Palaver” that ensued between the Lectures and Government of Ali Modu Sheriff began late last year when what was generally regarded as “419 Recruitment” was carried out by the Government following its desire to have some new courses accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
At the press conference organised by the Lecturers of Ramat Polytechnic last year, the over 100 new lecturers recruited by the institution via an approval from the government, none of them was paid a dime after eight months of resuming duty.
As a popular believe, as The Source’s investigation reveals, the attitude of Government and School Management was according to an insider, done to beef up the necessary criteria for the accreditation of the courses. And having got the approval for the courses by the NBTE, the Government consequently dumped the new Lecturers.
Pundits have indeed observed that, if Governor Sheriff could accuse the Government of Kachallah for turning back heads to the plights of the striking Medical and Health workers who had down –tools for more than four months at the tail end of the latter’s tenure, “what moral justification has he to turn back heads against Lecturers who have been on strike for over eight months,” a source asked rhetorically,
As part of the NLC, the failure of the striking lecturers to Press home their demands in the face of a so called strong and united NLC, demonstrates that, the NLC has not fully understood its prime motive as a body. As fundamental as education, it should have been a battle it has to fight to the end, says Abubakar Ibrahim, an indigene of Borno State.