OPSN urges FG, Labour to resolve issues, avert looming strike/protest

• Economic indicators are not good for strike/protest-OPSN

The Organized Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) has expressed deep concern that the series of consultations between the Federal Government, the National Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) respectively have not yielded positive results as the Labour Unions has resolved, in one way or the other, to go ahead with the protest/strike.

The Organised Private Sector of Nigeria comprising of five (5) business membership organizations, namely: Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA); The Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) and Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI) have issued a joint statement  stressing that they are worried that adequate consideration is not given to the dire situation of the economy and the devastating/disruptive impact that a nationwide strike will have on the country at this time.

This statement was endorsed by the Directors General of the above named five (5) business membership organization and released on their behalf by the Director General of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, mni, being the current Secretariat of the OPSN.

According to the body, “the government and labour need to understand that our economy is being de-marketed and the livelihood of the average Nigerian is being diminished by these incessant bickering. One is beginning to wonder if the wellbeing of more than 200 million Nigerians is being factored into their negotiations.

“While recognizing the right of the Labour Union to pursue the welfare of its members, we continue to implore the Government to employ its best endeavours to reengage the leadership of the Unions and find an amicable ground to avert the imminent disruption in business activities that will attend the protest and nationwide strike. We opine that adequate consideration should be given to the grim state of the economy and the possible unintended consequences of social unrest that may result from the protests.”

OPSN appreciated the deep concern of its members about the imminent strike and urged the management to be circumspect in their business operations, as they continue to intervene in last minute attempts to avert the strike, adding that adequate measures should be taken to protect company assets and contingency plans be made to keep business afloat.

The OPSN statement also read partly: “Meanwhile, it is important to begin to have a conversation around how the labour unions and the government can resolve their issues without jeopardizing the livelihood of the average Nigerian and truncating our business projection and activities.

“There should be some innovation around how the conversation between the government and labour will not always end up in holding the economy hostage. The unintended consequence on the fortune of the average business and people of Nigeria is unwarranted and becoming too high.

“Government should demonstrate good faith in keeping to its promises during the negotiations with labour and abstain from making promises they cannot or do not intend to keep. On the other hand, labour should do a realistic assessment of its demands, within the context of prevailing economic realities and possibilities, while going the extra mile to indicate how its demands could be met.

“We look forward to a time that labour will extend the scope of its demands to include recommendations on how government could meet those demands, with implementation strategies and realistic timelines. There appears to be a general consensus by government and labour, and the generality of Nigerian on the need to assuage the hardship occasioned by recent government economic measures. It behooves the government to advance the frontiers of this consensus to chart an agreeable roadmap and enable concrete programmes that will bring relief to the workers and Nigerians.

“Governance is a collective effort and all the segments of the society should work with government to create a conducive atmosphere for businesses to thrive and realistically hold government accountable for the improvement of the wellbeing of Nigerians.”