- Urges govt, employers to respect labour laws, others
By Henry Uche, Lagos
In response to the need to bridge the observable knowledge gap which has contributed to a large extent, the tensed industrial relations climate in the country, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria, Lagos Council, held a 2-day workshop for its members across the state on the 30th and 31st of August.
The essence of the workshop was to equip its members with sufficient Information/knowledge about how to handle seamlessly, any issue that often times arises in their respective places of work from either party to industrial relations, without necessarily drawing the battle line.
With the theme: “21st Century Trade Unionism: Laws, Conventions and International Best Practices”, TUC maintained that the training was also based on the acknowledgement that labour legislations do more than set standards for practitioners of industrial relations, but that the laws also provide the context within which those who are affected by laws must act while also ensuring that employer-employee relations are monitored, allowing both parties to be held accountable for their actions and/or inactions.
In a communique signed and issued by the State Council Chairman and Secretary: Comrade Gbenga Ekundayo; and Comrade Abiodun Aladetan, respectively, the Congress drawn from its affiliates in public and private sectors, including informal and formal workers, observed with disdain precarity of working conditions that most workers are subjected to which have caused more harm to workers.
According to the Congress, the workshop was designed to broaden the knowledge of labour leaders and reawaken them to international best practices in the world of work, moreover it was an avenue to share experiences and insights on working conditions in different sectors among its affiliates.
“Our members especially the leaders need to be very conversant with relevant extant Labour Laws, and trade dispute resolution mechanism, as well as the conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
“There is need to expose labour leaders to numerous bureaucratic bottlenecks in negotiation process with employers and ‘o ensure industrial peace and harmony’ as well as sensitize them on the infringements on workers’ rights and the current cancerous socio-economic pandemic ravaging working people and poor masses of Nigeria.”
The comrades who stressed the relevance of the Trade Union Amendment Act to both government, employers and workers alike in the world of work, charged parties to labour relations to operate within the legal frameworks, respect the rules of engagement with a view to promoting industrial peace and harmony in the world of work.
They urged employers and union leaders to always resolve their disputes in line with international best practices and adopt all relevant internal mechanisms for dispute resolution in consonance with relevant ILO conventions.
The unionists highlighted the importance of health and safety in the workplace, and condemned the high rate of underhand practices, inhumane treatments, and slavish engagements by some employers of labour who have unquenchable thirst and insatiable appetite for profit maximization- thereby endangering the lives of workers.
The workshop aggressively frowned at the such dastard acts and warned against erring employers to desist forthwith, stating that it would not hesitate to press all legitimate buttons against perpetrators.
TUC leadership decried the parlous state of the economy and the ravaging effects of the uncoordinated subsidy removal by the Federal Government, and its inability to effectively tame the monstrous cabal who have mortgaged Nigeria’s collective patrimony. Worse still, the palliative regime of FG has been observed as that, which has robbed Peter to pay Paul.
“They (government) advised the poor masses to endure while they show no readiness to cut the over-bloated cost of governance, as seen in the appointments made so far. It is ironical, that the same government that preached that the poor should breathe has cut the oxygen supplies. The poor workers are currently suffocating!
“We condemned the obvious abdication of responsibility by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State Governor, as reflected in his reluctance to concretely address the debilitating impacts of the exponential rise in the cost of living, occasioned by the insensitive subsidy removal”
They demand a pragmatic enforcement of legal instruments protecting the rights of workers to associate without victimization, harassment and unjust treatments, more so, employers must respect safety standards in line with international best practices.
“To ensure a fair work pay rate, we demand speedy upward review of National Minimum Wage Act to guarantee a living wage that allows the Nigerian worker to live in dignity. Lagos State Government to respect the NEC decision for conditional cash transfer for public servants in the state.
“The state government should reduce the number of workdays for members of staff of Lagos State so as to reduce the cost of transportation on them. This can be in the form of special shift system, flexible work days and work-from-home scheme.
“The informal sector which constitutes about 42% of productive activities in the state must as a matter of urgency be regulated, licensed and standardised to ensure that our artisans and technical workers are adequately remunerated to achieve a fair living standard.
“We call for immediate overhaul of the transport sector to truly reflect the smart city mantra of the state, considering that- this is a major pillar in the THEMES-PLUS agenda the current administration,” they urged.