As the workers, employers of labour and government officials prepare for 2024 May Day celebrations nation-wide, organized labour and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led-administration have been commended for maintaining relative industrial peace in the wake of daunting current economic challenges in the past one year in the country.
At the weekend in Ilorin, the management and staff of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) organized its annual a 2024 pre-May Day policy brief on the state of labour- government relations under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present Federal government.
Attended by management and staff of the Institute, members of NLC, TUC, civil society and People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) , the consensus of the stakeholders was that notwithstanding the impact of inevitable economic reforms initiated by the Federal government on employment relations, organized labour, employers and governments in the past one year had commendably taken the advantage of the country’s social dialogue and dispute resolution mechanism to minimize disputes and maintain relative harmony.
In his remarks at the pre-May Day gathering in Ilorin, Director General of the Institute, Comrade Issa Aremu observed that while labour- government relations is always characterized by “policy contestation and policy accommodation”, the twin policy of inevitable fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange market reforms that had engendered inflation, currency devaluation, high cost of living have challenged industrial relations more than ever before . The Director General however said adherence in the past one year by all stakeholders to the principle of collective bargaining and social dialogue in the past one year has “commendably minimized avoidable work-stoppages, strikes and lockouts” adding that both the government and unions in the future should deepen engagement for mutual maximum benefits of the on -going reform agenda.
The Director General singled out the October 2nd 15-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between organized Labour and government following the removal of fuel subsidy “as a model framework for managing industrial relations at times of economic crisis”.
Accordingly to him the October agreement was being implemented to the benefit of all the parties citing the payment of the Federal Government wage award of N35,000 (thirty-five thousand Naira) pending when a new national minimum wage Federal Government, suspension of collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) on Diesel for six months, N100 billion for the provision of high capacity CNG buses for mass transit , as well as the inauguration of an inclusive 37-member tripartite National Minimum wage committee. Comrade Aremu observed that the most significant clause of the October agreement was that
“All parties commit to henceforth abide by the dictates of Social dialogue in all our future engagements”.
On the significance of observance of May Day celebration in a democracy, the Director General recalled that it was democratic dispensation of late Governors Abubakar Rimi and BalarebeMusa and late President Shehu Shagari that declared 1st May public holiday in 1981 following NLC demand.
The Director General, therefore observed that organized labourhas a stake in sustaining the nation’s democracy adding that the citizens are better off in a democratic governance than any other system of government.
The MINILS Director General observed that democracy guarantees freedom of association and dialogue unlike during the military administrations which once arbitrarily dissolved leadership of NLC for advocating rights of its members.
“There can only be negotiation, social dialogue in a democratic atmosphere and we are making the 44th anniversary of May Day in Nigeria. But if you look at records, this couldn’t have been possible without democracy.
“The two occasions that we couldn’t have May Day celebrated were under military when the military dissolved the NLC. So, the lesson of this is that organized labour has stake in sustaining democratic process because we are better off in a democracy.
“We can see today that our freedom of association is guaranteed. We can engage our government in negotiation. We can go on legitimate protest without being criminalized. Democracy guarantees that.”
Comrade Aremu called on both the government and Labour to rethink their strategy of engagement for national development.
“For instance, the government must rethink the reform to make it more inclusive, carry labour along. There is also the need for a “Just Transition” in managing reform. So, if from day one, workers are put on the table in formulating reforms, possibly they will not contest the reforms.
“But also labour should rethink its own method, contestation is important, but it is also good to be proactive to be part of decision making. I will call on government to expand the Economic Advisory Council to include labour, employers of labour and not business people, most of whom have conflicts of interest”, Aremu said.
At the ceremony that had in attendance Senior Special to KwaraState Governor on Labour Matters, Comrade Mumini Onagunand the Chairman, state council of NLC, Comrade MuritalaSaheed Olayinka, the MINILS Director General applauded the government, employers of labour and labour movement for minimizing dispute through industrial relation management in the country.
He added, “Both the organized labour, federal government and as well as employers of labour should be commended for managing industrial relation in a way that will minimize the level of dispute but we are maximizing the benefit for all the parties. And this is the way to go.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made the point that reforms are inevitable; they will take place. And I’m very sure, labour is also not averse to reforms. In fact, by nature, labour is for changes. But what labour wants just like what the government wants is that let the outcome of any reform be beneficial to all, it should not be adversary.
“And the only way to resolve is to take advantage of the existing industrial relation machinery that we have; collective bargaining, social dialogue, respect for agreement. I want to salute both the labour and the federal government for keeping to the spirit of October agreement so far”, Aremu noted
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