By Victor Ahiuma- Young

THE fight against indecent work by organised Labour has been a serious issue in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.

In fact, it is a global phenomenon  to the extent that during the UN General Assembly in September 2015, decent work and the four pillars of the Decent Work Agenda – employment creation, social protection, rights at work, and social dialogue – became  integral elements    of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To ensure that member-states are not left behind the push for decent work, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS,  the regional body as part of efforts at stepping up drive for decent work within the region, recently in Abuja, Nigeria organised a three-day  dialogue with the theme: Strengthening Social Dialogue for the Promotion of Decent Work in the ECOWAS Region.

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Decent work agenda

Welcoming participants, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, William Alo, called on ECOWAS member-states to place the  Decent Work Agenda  at the centre of their socio-economic policies for sustainable development in the sub-region.

According to him: “The pillars of the Decent Work Agenda – social dialogue, social protection, rights at work and employment – are indispensable building blocks of sustainable development.”

Alo stated that the Nigerian government had created an unrestricted space for social dialogue to cushion workers’ vulnerability, and to foster greater reconciliation and mediation between disputing parties.

The Permanent Secretary described social dialogue and collective bargaining as reliable tools for addressing inequality, minimising the incidence of working poor, and ensuring fair wage distribution, as well as tackling informality in the ECOWAS sub-region;  and therefore appealed to tripartite partners and other stakeholders to employ dialogue and consultations to address problems faced by workers and employers alike.

Ending conflicts

He noted that the theme of this year’s forum: Strengthening Social Dialogue for the Promotion of Decent Work in the ECOWAS Region, was designed to  promote social dialogue and tripartism, aimed at preventing and ending conflicts, and promoting socio-economic development and integration at the national and regional levels.

He commended the ECOWAS Commission for its role in deepening integration in labour administration in the sub-region, noting: “Your role in the development of the ECOWAS Labour and Employment Policy and its Youth Employment Action Plan, draft ECOWAS Decent Work Regional Programme (2019-2022), and the draft Directive on Harmonisation of Labour Laws in the ECOWAS region to be validated at this Forum, are key milestones worthy of mention.”

Decent work deficits

Similarly, in an opening remark, the ECOWAS Commission for Social Affairs and Gender, Dr Siga Fatima Jagne, represented by Dr Sintiki Tarfa Ogbe, called on ECOWAS member-states to take measures to address key decent work deficits in the region – unemployment, underemployment, low rate of female employment and low labour force participation in rural areas, among others.

Dr Jagne noted that the ECOWAS Commission would present to the Forum  for consideration and validation, a draft Decent Work Regional Programme, DWRP; and the draft Directive on minimum standards on harmonisation of labour laws in the ECOWAS region.

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According to her, the DWRP would serve as an impetus to job creation, social security coverage, and social dialogue, as well as improve working conditions and promote gender mainstreaming in labour and employment matters for all West Africans; while the Directive would urge member- states to harmonise their labour laws and social security legislations.

In goodwill messages, the International Labour Organisation, ILO, the Social Dialogue Forum, and Organisation of Trade Unions in West Africa, OTUWA, pledged support for the Forum in realising its objectives. They agreed that the meeting came at an auspicious time when the world was focused on the future of work that is human-centred and inclusive.

Vanguard