Every year, workers across the world unite to mark May Day otherwise known as International Labour Day on May 1. The celebration which is also known as Workers Day was first declared in Nigeria by the Kano State people Redemption Party Government in 198o, and became a national holiday in 1981. The May Day celebration is a day set aside to revisit and acknowledge the historic struggles and progressive gains made by workers and the labour movement to shape the ideas of social justice and improve the employment conditions of workers.[spacer height=”25px”]

At a pre-May Day symposium organized by the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on April 29, 2022, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa talked to five labour representatives who answered questions related to the theme for this year’s commemoration – “Labour, Politics and the Quest for Good Governance in Nigeria’’. [spacer height=”25px”]

Comrade Abiodun Aladetan
Secretary TUC, Lagos State Council

What is our ideal workplace and what is good governance from the perspective of what you do as a worker?

‘‘An Ideal workplace is a working environment where every worker feels a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in working and is equally appreciated for contributing to the growth of the institution. This is because such an environment motivates a worker to do more. An unconducive environment lowers the productivity and morale of workers hence employers of labour must create a conducive work atmosphere that prioritizes the welfare of workers. Good governance on the other hand refers to the social contract between the government and citizens. Whilst the social contract demands the government to guarantee the safety and rights of its citizens. It is unfortunate that the reverse is the case in Nigeria. Presently, the country is besieged with security challenges and worsening economic conditions that seem to have completely overwhelmed the government. It is therefore imperative that Nigerians make the right choices, devoid of our usual biases of ethnicity and religion, in selecting the next crop of leaders as we approach the forthcoming 2023 general elections.”[spacer height=”25px”]

Comrade Nkechi Obinna
Organizing Officer, Air Transport Services Association, Nigeria

What is the condition of your work environment in the light of prevailing realities in Nigeria?

‘‘The major challenge we face is the fact that most workers in our sector want to be part of the union or establish a union at their workplaces but are unable to. This is because the right to organize, supposedly guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution is constantly threatened and canceled by their employers. Aviation agencies averse to the idea of a workers union employ both heavy-handed and legal tactics to harass persons who favor the establishment of a union. Some of the intimidation methods include – forcing workers at the point of employment to sign an anti-union policy, engaging in favouritism and nepotism to break the ranks of workers, arbitrarily firing workers who belong to or join a union, and planting moles in establishments to rat out dissident workers. The consequence of all this is that we have a lot of workers very much afraid of belonging to the union. As a union, we have been engaging the management of workplaces to respect workers’ right to associate and assemble.’’[spacer height=”25px”]

Do you have any recommendations for resolving this challenge?[spacer height=”25px”]

“I recommend state authorities and relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Labour and Labour Union to impose penalties in accordance with the laws of the land to curb the excesses and draconian practices of erring employers.”[spacer height=”25px”]

Comrade Mayowa Adeyeye Napoleon
Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria Trade Union Congress

What are the impacts of prevailing work policies and conditions of service on workers in Nigeria?

“When you review the work landscape in Nigeria, you would realize that most workers suffer deplorable conditions – some employers of labour have taken advantage of the miserable economic situation to mistreat workers in contravention of the Labour Act. Even though the rights of workers are protected by certain manpower policies and regulations such as the Nigerian Labour Act, the Pensions Act, the Industrial Training Act, Employee Compensation Act, Trade Unions Act, the poor enforcement of protective provisions contained in these policies continues to hinder the emancipation of workers.”[spacer height=”25px”]

What is the impact of privatization on workers?

“While privatization is not totally evil, certain critical sectors of the economy must however be publicly and democratically managed. Privatizing such sectors as water or health sectors among others will not only diminish the social conditions of workers and citizens but also transfer the operations of those sectors to the hands of hawkish private owners who would always elevate profit over welfare. In recent times, there has been a proliferation of private hospitals and universities in Nigeria as a result of the inabilities of state authorities to provide adequate social infrastructures. The result is that citizens have become cash cows for many private establishments.”[spacer height=”25px”]

What is an ideal workplace and what should good governance look like?

“Good governance spurs development. An ideal workplace as it is with good governance, considers the utmost welfare of workers and citizens as a priority. Thus, an ideal workplace and good governance are transformative.”[spacer height=”25px”]

What is your key message to the people and government on the occasion of workers’ day this year?

‘‘I urge the Nigerian government to invest in policies that will eradicate mass poverty and improve the living and working conditions of citizens. My advice to the people is to utilize the forthcoming elections to vote only for parties with welfarist manifestos. Finally, I enjoin all workers to press forward to contribute their quota towards nation-building despite the challenges. Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta!’’[spacer height=”25px”]

Comrade Ajani Islamiyat Titilayo,
National Secretary, Professional E-hailing Drivers, and Private Owners Association of Nigeria (PEDPANGA) Affiliated to the TUC

Are there any challenges you face in your union considering that you are in the informal sector?

“As an industry in the informal sector, we are plagued with several challenges but the most disturbing is the matter of unionization and erratic practices of e-hailing companies in Nigeria. Despite the huge role, drivers play in the transportation economy, e-hailing companies operating in Nigeria such as Bolt, Uber, and other foreign partners continue to undermine workers by rolling out working conditions that are unfavourable to drivers. They deny drivers the right to organize and join unions to fracture the collective bargaining power of e-drivers to negotiate for better welfare conditions. In extreme cases, drivers are deactivated or blocked from using an e-hailing app for daring to express opinions or frivolous reasons.”[spacer height=”25px”]

What is your ideal workplace? What should it look like?

‘‘I would love the informal work sector environment to embody the realities of a formal workplace because workers are workers regardless of the differences in their environments. What this would mean is a situation where workers in the informal sector are provided with welfare packages such as access to health insurance, travel allowances, soft loans, etcetera. Several drivers migrated to the transport sector from formal sectors, and this was because, during the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of workers in the formal sector lost their jobs and had to start driving to make ends meet. If we could have access to the kind of welfare packages that were availed to us when worked in the formal sector, it would greatly ease our living conditions. Transportation and mobility are important indices in every economy as such state authorities must also invest in social welfare for drivers to improve their productivity and overall, the transportation system in the country. For instance, the creation of a Bank of Transportation will help boost the transport and automotive sector by providing low-interest loans to drivers, and efficient and inclusive mobility systems in the country. Finally, it is our wish for the government to recognize our union as this will greatly boost the standing of our workers in different workspaces.’’[spacer height=”25px”]

Comrade Babatunde Oke
Secretary, Petroleum and Natural gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN)

What is good governance? What should an ideal workplace look like for workers?

“Good governance refers to the provision of welfare, infrastructure, and a comprehensive social plan for every citizen. An ideal workplace, on the other hand, is an environment that provides workers with the rights, chances, instruments, and safe working environment to do their job.”[spacer height=”25px”]

What do you think is the greatest challenge for workers in Nigeria and what is the responsibility of the government to workers in Nigeria?

‘‘Workers’ welfare is more than an increase in pay or allowances. It is a comprehensive approach to improving the work/life balance of a worker. Similarly, what is expected from the government is the provision of transformative leadership to citizens – the provision of basic amenities such as water, education, hospital, and related social infrastructures that improve the standard of living on all fronts.’’[spacer height=”25px”]

What is your key message to government and workers generally?

‘‘I am calling on the government to fix things – to see that infrastructural facilities work and run the way they ought to and to revive the comatose power, and transportation sectors among others. I salute all Nigerian workers for their dogged tenacity despite having to face debilitating economic challenges, I especially recognize workers in Lagos who suffer some of the most urban challenges in Nigeria, in particular, perennial traffic congestion. Nigerian workers must pay attention to politics and participate in it by using their voters’ cards to elect the right leaders who will ease their burden.’’