SSANIPOST

ssa-nipost: fobtob delegates conference

02-03-2010 At the Conference, the Delegates-in-Session critically deliberated extensively on issues in the industry and the economy in general and resolved as follows:

1.    That the global economic meltdown and the implication on our   nation's economy has adversely affected Nigerian economic performance and this in turn has considerable implication for the welfare of trade union members.

2.    That the capitalist system is essentially speculative and this implies that critical real sector such as agriculture, housing and basic infrastructural facilities, manufacturing concerns etc. suffer severe neglect hence increase in the number of unemployed youth in our nation.

3.    That due to the recent decline in the revenue of government from the sales of crude oil, the government needs to look for an alternative source of revenue as the present economic reality demands desperate actions.

4.    The labour cannot be dismissed as secondary to capital because without it, capital remains dormant and can hardly meet the interest of the owners in a dormant condition. Therefore, the government should ensure that the new minimum wage is put in place without delay as the present minimum wage is more of a slave wage.

5.    That the insecurity of life and property is becoming worrisome more especially the issue of militancy in the Niger Delta. Thus, we condemn the military operation in the region. We therefore, call on the government to embrace dialogue, as that is the only method that will bring peace in that region.

6.    That the people in leadership position should be sincere in the fight against corruption as the existing war is lopsided.

7.    That too little has been done for the manufacturing sector which is suffering from the weak Naira and high cost of imported materials, port congestion and lack of electricity. Therefore, the government should show more commitment to its 7-point agenda in order to bail out the manufacturing sector.