Lagos — The spectre of nationwide rallies and strikes loom over the country as members of organised labour unions yesterday in Abuja threatened to commence protests from May 13 to mount pressure on the federal government and the legislature for a new minimum wage and the full implementation of the recommendations of the Justice Muhammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee.

The threat which was contained in the May Day address presented during a rally by the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress came on the heels of the plea by President Umaru Yar'Adua for labour and its allies to join hands to tackle the effects of the global economic crisis.

In a speech delivered by the NLC President, Abdulwaheed Ibrahim Omar, the union expressed displeasure with the federal government for "turning down most of the critical recommendations of the electoral reform panel."

Omar equally expressed disdain at the "apparent poor response of government to workers' demands for a new minimum wage, the lingering fuel supply crisis and the deteriorating situation of the power sector," urging government to do something urgently before Nigerians lose patience.

"At a time when other countries have their interest rates below three percent, our government has allowed a policy that keeps the interest rate at 20 percent or above.

"At a time when most countries of the world are realising that market fundamentalism is not capable of leading their economies out of recession, the Nigerian government seems to be digging deeper into it.

"Nigerian workers need to see specific measures and steps taken to deal with these problems. We would like to warn that unless this happens, Nigerian workers might have no choice but to also declare their own state of emergency on the issue," he said.

The NLC president said in furtherance of the resolution at the NLC National Executive Council meeting last March to mount pressure on the government, the body along with other allies would begin protest rallies from 13th May in Asaba, Ibadan, Kano, Enugu, Maiduguri, Makurdi with the grand finale in Abuja in June.

"We shall begin a series of national rallies/protests from Wednesday 13th May, to put pressure on the government to reverse its plan to deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry and privatise our refineries. "The protest rallies are also intended to put pressure on government and the National Assembly for the full implementation of the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee report as well as for a living wage," he said.

The president general of TUC, Peter Esele while addressing the rally held at the Eagles Square, warned against the "ugly consequences of the poor handling of the governorship election re-run in Ekiti state," saying the nation risks foisting chaos and anarchy on the state unless the Independent National Electoral Commission is made to carry out its duty without fear or favour.

Esele who also criticised the federal government for the handling of the electoral reform report, said "not allowing positive change to take place, does not augur well for the future of our country's democracy."

Yar'Adua in a speech read by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode expressed his commitment to collaborate with labour and other well-meaning Nigerians in enthroning a virile electoral process.

The minister's presentation however was not well received by the workers as the crowd booed him intermittently all through the speech.

Kayode told the workers that the president was desirous of having peaceful industrial relations as a means of containing the ravaging impact of the global meltdown.

"Let it be emphasized that no government programme however laudable it may be, can succeed if workers do not believe in it and partner with government for its actualisation.

"We need to work together in an atmosphere that is devoid of rancour because government places a lot of value on its relationship with labour," he said.

The absence of top government officials, including President Yar'Adua, Senate President, David Mark and his House of Representatives counterpart, Dimeji Bankole at yesterday's May Day rally did not go down well with the workers.

Most of them described it as "a sign of disdain for workers."

In Edo State, Governor Adams Oshiomhole during the May Day rally in Benin, lifted the embargo on employment placed by previous administrations and appealed to Yar'Adua to avoid any obnoxious law that could weaken the labour movement in the country.

This year's workers' day celebration witnessed a low turn-out in Ebonyi State apparently in compliance with the directive of the state's Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) which directed workers to shun the celebration as a result of the seeming government's insensitivity to their plight.

However, Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi promised workers that despite the drastic reduction of funds to the state as a result of the current economic meltdown, no worker would lose his/her job, insisting that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, he was determined to better the lot of workers.

In Anambra State, the governor, Peter Obi got the nod of workers to run for a second term in office during the May Day rally.

The Anambra State chairman of the NLC, Anthony Ugozor who expressed workers' desire to see Obi remain in office till 2014, said the governor had in three years excelled over all his predecessors put together.

In Abia State, Governor Theodore Orji said he would not use the global economic meltdown as an excuse not to deliver on his promises to the people, despite the fact that the revenue profile of the state had drastically been reduced.

He made the pledge while addressing workers at the May Day celebration held at the Orji Uzor Kalu Stadium, Umuahia, noting that in the last couple of months the state's allocation accruing from the federation account had dropped by about N1 billion monthly, "thereby distorting the fiscal projections of this government."

In Delta State, the government used the occasion of the workers' day to abolish the practice of engaging casual workers in the state civil service in a bid to boost the level of productivity and improve the welfare of workers, as well as to enhance the human capital development policy of the state.

To this end, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan directed that the head of service as well as other heads of departments in all the ministries and parastatals to compile and submit all the names of casual workers in their various departments for immediate employment.

Governor Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom dedicated all the awards conferred on him in recognition of his achievement in two years in office to workers in the state for their contributions towards the actualisation of the vision of the state government.

Addressing workers in the state during the celebrations, Akpabio also announced a 50 per cent tax rebate for workers as part of efforts to cushion the effect of the global economic meltdown in the country.