The strike palaver

The NLC embarked on a seven day warning strike last Wednesday, bringing to halt government activities which must have resulted to loss of millions or billions of naira. In the first place, we all know that strike action is an ill wind that blows no one any goods. It is an action that contributes negatively […]

The NLC embarked on a seven day warning strike last Wednesday, bringing to halt government activities which must have resulted to loss of millions or billions of naira. In the first place, we all know that strike action is an ill wind that blows no one any goods. It is an action that contributes negatively to the development of any nation.

Unfortunately, those who are supposed to avert it rather encourage it by their inaction. For years in this country, strikes seem to have been the only means used by workers to drive home their demands which in many occasions doesn’t even yield any positive result. Nobody can accurately tell the material and human lives that have been lost in them, notwithstanding. Now the question is what is the benefit of strike action, if at all there’s any? Who benefits from it, the leadership of labour, the workers or the government? Obviously someone must be out there praying and fasting for strike to be embarked upon for reasons best known to him.

As weaknesses of strike actions continued to unveil, some organizations would not want to participate in them anymore because there reasons do not hold water, often seen as baseless and selfish in nature.  Sometimes, reasons that one may feel are genuine for strikes are not given attention by the leadership of labour and this often leads to insinuations that their palms have been greased. The government would not act until all her offices are shut down and every social activity is grounded. I think strikes are often sponsored and carried out when all calculations are done and the gains to be accrued are envisaged by unpatriotic citizens who think they can coerce people to revolt.

Otherwise I see no reason why the government would always wait for strike actions over matters that cannot take few hours to be settled amicably. Even when promises are made by her, fulfilling them becomes difficult. Leadership of labour likewise has failed in her quest for a conducive environment for her workers, hence not all organizations now wish to go with them. In summary, one will agree that, just as coups are no longer fashionable, strikes must be an outdated means of achieving anything from the government by now.

Let’s think and come up with an alternative. Government on her part must be sensitive to calls made to her by her citizens without waiting for any showdown before it takes action. A stitch in time saves nine. It should cultivate the habit of motivating her workers when they least expected. It should always ensure that agreements made and signed are fully implemented in order to avoid distrust on her part. With the current warning strike which is equally a warm up for the real showdown, government should expedite action before the ultimatum given her by the NLC.

We cannot forget so soon the last ASUU strike that kept our children at home and universities closed down for several months. Strike palaver is a destructive disease and never a tool that builds any nation.

Wasa Bitrus Kujemah, Abuja