Strikes are used all over the world as a means of making perceived or real demands against marginalisation in rights and privileges. Nigeria has experienced a number of strike actions among its workforce due to demands for better welfare packages for workers as it relates to salaries and conditions of service.
In recent times strikes have become incessant in the medical and education sector. This is worrisome due to the fact that the effect of strikes in these sectors affect all strata of society. These translate into waste in human capacity and development socially, economically and politically which affect the general well-being of citizens physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
As it stands, all employees in the federal/state universities and research institutes have been on strike for varied demands. The demands include condition of service, welfare, payments of earned allowances, backlog of arrears, autonomy, payment system, better funding of education and research and so on.
As it relates to the imbroglio between ASUU/NASU/SSANU and FG negotiations seem to drag backwards instead of moving forward. Instead of collaboration which is the best method at handling disagreements it seems a hard stance of competition is what is playing out. The root cause of these conflicts is usually a salient fight against injustice. If there is an imbalance in how workers are remunerated in a system the tendency is for those who feel shortchanged to begin to demand for what they think and feel is their joint inheritance.
For instance, why would a particular class of public servants and civil servants in government employment earn so much more than their counterparts while enjoying other privileges that do not go round for all? These forms of inequalities will always generate conflicts and a demand or a struggle for more so long as these inequalities are so obvious.
While hoping that there will be a lasting solution to most of the issues on the table, it is important that government begin to take a critical look at our economy and how it is been managed for public use to promote fairness and equitable distribution of our joint resources.
Bolutife Pasa