By Bimbola Oyesola
THE recent revelation by the Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola, that the sector lost over N7 billion to strike within a year is one that should worry every Nigerian. Though other sectors may not have tried to compute what they might have lost in the process, there is no doubt that billions are lost every year in the country, each time workers embark on strike. More often workers have said that they took the action as a last resort, following the inability of the employers to respect agreement earlier reached with them.
In Nigeria Labour movement, virtually all the unions have a National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC), which comprises representatives of the employees and the employers’ bodies that meet every two years to discuss issues, relating to welfare of workers as well as other critical issues in their respective sector.
The principle stems from the idea that as a group, employees have more strength or bargaining power if they collaborate than they do if they try to negotiate with their employer individually. Because of its basis in collaboration, collective bargaining is inherently a democratic process since a majority of employees select the subjects they bargain over and vote on whether they agree to a contract.
All, including employers, have the right to freedom of expression and opinion, including on the topic of unions – provided that the exercise of this right does not infringe a worker’s right to freedom of association.
As for what can be negotiated, aside from compensation, a collective bargaining agreement with an employer can ensure a fair performance rating system; whistleblower protection; job flexibility; proper training and/or mentoring; career advancement opportunities; maintenance of quality control; and the overall ability to hold the employer accountable.
As specified by the ILO and has seen in some developed countries of the world, it is considered a fundamental human right, and in the United States, is a legal right that gives employees — professionals included — the ability to create changes and find solutions with their employer. Furthermore, bargaining collectively is beneficial to the economy and to society as a whole as it helps to promote an ownership society that empowers its citizens.
The Nigeria Labour Congress President, Ayuba Wabba said that economic research on unions in manufacturing proves that unionized workplaces have higher productivity than nonunion workplaces.
Studies also have shown that positive effect on productivity appears across all industries that maintain good labor-management relations. “Through a union, employees have a means to participate in a dialogue with management whereby they can collaboratively engage with their employer in labor-management partnerships to identify problems and processes that are wasteful, inefficient, or harmful to the employer’s operation”, he said.
Another proven fact is that a unionized workforce can also reduce employee turnover and increase the retention of highly skilled and experienced employees, thus creating circumstances where the employer invests in resources in training employees.
The National President of the National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), Lateef Oyelekan said most problem in the sector emanates from employers who refused their workers belonging to union.
“We have often warned them as a non unionise worker who is paid peanut, because their is no collective bargaining in place where they are working are often non commital and would never bothered what will happen to the company. Most of those companies have died prematurely, while we still have the bigger ones with union surviving against all odds”, he said.