The Culture Of Strike In Africa And Its Attending Dangers

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VENTURES AFRICA – As incessant strike actions, the buzzword on the lips of both workers and citizens in Africa threatens to slow economic growth across the continent’s leading markets including South Africa and Cameroon, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has added to the growing trend by embarking on an indefinite strike on Tuesday.

This was sequel to the media briefing on Monday by the president of the association, Dr Kayode Obembe, who said that the body had to resume the strike it suspended on January 5, 2014 for failure of the government to meet its demands.
In an open letter to the Nigerian government, the association itemized some of its demands as follows: “The post of deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) has been circularised and operational. Rather than abolish it, the NMA hereby demands that four DCMACs for teaching hospitals and three for the federal medical centres be appointed to assist the chairmen, Medical Advisory Committee, whose statutory responsibilities are too heavy for any single individual to handle. Directors in other government agencies are supported by several deputy directors, why not the CMAC who is also a director?” It queried.
Still on the letter jointly signed by Dr. Kayode, Nigerian Medical Association, Secretary-General, Adewumi Alayaki, and all heads the Association’s allied entities, bearing the title “Minimum End Point for Restoration of Sustainable Sanity in Patient Care in Nigerian Hospitals’’, issues of main concern centred on: reserving the position of chief medical director to only medical doctors, appointment of Surgeon General of the Federation, passage of National Health Bill and providing security for doctors.
Industry watchers in Africa hold the view that these incessant strike actions taint the Foreign Direct Investors (FDI) confidence in Africa.
South Africa has had its fair share of strike actions in recent months. Strike by platinum mine workers threatened to stifle the mining industry. Both workers and owners moaned about the impact it had on their lives; miner workers were losing potential wages, making it unable to fend for their daily necessities. The owners grumbled about the huge losses made during the strike.
Several reports placed total loss during the six-month long strike at $2.5 billion. Some mine owners had to relinquish their assets due to unmanageable costs.
Again, Cameroon transport workers on Wednesday, has threatened to strike next week over government’s decision to remove some fuel subsidies. As a result, unrest is building up in the country as it tries to appeal to donors.
According to reports, before the World Cup began in Brazil, the Cameroon squad in Yaounde refused to board their scheduled plane to Brazil on Sunday in a strike action over money for the tournament.
It is however, believed that there is a direct relationship between economic development and educational growth. Therefore, the monetary cost of any man-hour lost per day to the ongoing strike is huge as it runs into billions of dollars, both in terms of salaries and wages, as well as productivity. For the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in Nigeria, the strike has been on for the past ten months now, while for the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU members, the strike has dragged on for five months.
In South Africa, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation showed concern about South Africa’s economy which now shrinks as a result of the incessant industrial actions. Shortly after the resolution of the strike in the platinum mining sector has been welcomed, over 200,000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) went striking.
Industry observers maintain that there have been concerns that even though the miners’ strike was resolved, its effects would not disappear soon. Production started again on Monday the 5th. The miners’ experience has not been good, and 2000 of them have been left without jobs. It is always clear that these incessant strike actions in Africa will always have a negative impact on the countries’ GDPs (Gross Domestic Products).
Recall the attempt in 2012 by the Nigerian government to remove the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), the NLC (Nigerian Labour Congress), TUC (Trade Union Congress), the pro-people Civil Society Organizations and patriotic Professional organizations rejected the new fuel prices and directed Nigerians to resist their imposition and off the bat they took to the streets.
Economic pundits are of the opinion that the effect of the 2012 strike action by workers on the Nigeria’s economy was fraught with extreme danger as they estimate that the nation may have lost a total of $11 billion to the industrial action.
Reports coming from the media uniformly have the cost of the Miners’ strike in South Africa as $2.4 billion. The poor employer, upon whom this deficit of revenue bounces, is inexplicitly portrayed as the unfortunate person who suffers strike action. What the cost was in lost wages to the 17 000 miners is in fact, outrageous. Simple arithmetic reveals this figure to be, at the wages they currently receive (reportedly averaging R35,000 a month), a mere R75 million ($6.9 million). Had they won the 300 percent increase they were demanding, this would become R290 million ($26 million).
Southern Africa’s low-income-earning sugar workers have been rose up for improved living and working conditions. Between May and June this year, an 11-day strike by the South African Food and Allied workers Union (WAFU) and two other unions won important wages and non-wage improvements for the country’s sugar employers.