By Victor Ahiuma-Young

IN most developed econo mies and serious countries across the globe, Labour Ministry is a prime ministry because of its importance to the socio-economic development of every economy.

One of the finest and most proactive Labour Ministers Nigeria has produced in recent times, Chief Emeka Wogu, once said in an interview that the “Ministry of Labour is quite central and strategic to the national economy because a strike that is prolonged can bring down the economy. Like in other countries, it is a key ministry.

“After the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, the next is Labour because Labour is central to the economy of every nation.”  

Any moment from now, President Bola Tinubu will name a Minister to oversee the Labour and Employment Ministry.

From the profiles and antecedents of most of the Ministerial nominees cleared by the Senate on Monday, only a few possess the qualities to raise the bar amidst the challenges in the world of work today and the expected fallouts of government policies, actions and inactions.

Though the President’s mindset will largely determine the person he will assign to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the President must be smart and careful not to appoint someone who could turn the country into a theatre of industrial unrest.

The incoming Minister of Labour and Employment must be a manager of men, a human resource guru, a mediation expert and a top-notch conciliator because, by the position,   the minister is the Conciliator-in-Chief of the country. And he or she must be above board having the ability to work as a government official without being a government officer.

Thus, the minister should not be seen to favour any party whether government as employer, private sector employers or employees in any circumstance when there is a dispute between parties.

The incoming minister must not be an office minister, rather a factory minister who visits factories frequently, holds stakeholders’ meetings with employers and workers to know their challenges.In other words, the minister must inspect factories, talk to employers and workers about working conditions and so on.

In this regards, the Factory Inspectorate Department of the ministry must be strengthened. It is sad that the department is grossly understaffed. The few  inspectors are only based in Abuja. In all the state offices of the ministry, you can hardly find one factory inspector.

Challenges

The workers in the nation’s public university system are back to their duties, but the consequences of last year’s protracted industrial action have not been resolved especially on the legality or morality of payment of salaries and benefits while the strike lasted.

While government is legally right not to pay for work not done, the issue may not simply go away unless both parties resolve it amicably.Resolving the issue in a win-win for all parties is the immediate challenge of the incoming minister. There is doubt that lessons have been learnt by parties. Thus, the incoming minister must work with stakeholders to address issue of protracted industrial action especially in the educational and health institutions. All parties should know the consequences of such a protracted action.

Indecent employment

One of the greatest challenge confronting the labour sector in Nigeria is upsurge in indecent employment practices.

These practices include casualisation, outsourcing, contract staffing, opposition to unionisation of workers, non-payment of salaries and other benefits. There are issues of abuses whether sexual or otherwise, unsafe working conditions and so on. The list is endless.From Manufacturing, Financial  Educational, Power, Petroleum,  Telecommunications, Maritime, Construction, Media, Servicing industries  to sadly, public sector, Nigeria’s workplaces are gradually becoming slave camps for slave drivers. 

There is a growing trend where employers convert full time employees to casual workers with total disregard to rules, and extant labour laws. We cannot continue like this. Working with stakeholders especially Organised Labour and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, the incoming minister must put an end to this menace and chart a way forward for decent employment policy and practice.

Law and order

Lack of enforcement of law and order is the driver of unfair labour practices including un-procedural termination of employment; suspension, lock-out and industrial action that have become fashionable in the country’s workplaces. What we now see is growing rate of impunity by  some employers and union officials.

The said thing is that there is hardly any sanction against such impunities. Employers go scot-free for not paying salaries for months, even years, denying workers the right to freedom of association, in this case, the right to belong to unions of their choice. Employers also are not sanctioned for deducting workers’ taxes, pensions and others without remittances to the appropriate quatres. They are not even reprimanded for un-procedural termination of employment and breach of other extant labour laws and conventions. We are also witnessing  growing cases of employers who have formed the  penchant for  hiring and firing of workers at will without paying the required benefits. These categories of employers abuse every employment policy and practice. They engage workers without documentation or issuance of employment letter, pay slips among others. When workers protest, they unleash overzealous law enforcement agents on them.

Again, we are seeing cases of employers refusing to respect the ruling of the Industrial Arbitration Panel, IAP, and most especially, National Industrial Court without sanctions. The incoming minister must work with stakeholders to restore the rule of law and industrial harmony in the world of work. There is no doubt that employers and workers need education on labour management to ensure a less disruptive and productive working environment where parties understand and imbibe the rules of engagement to make the world of work in Nigeria rancour and ultimately strike-free.

It is imperative for the incoming minister to work in collaboration with stakeholders and social partners to achieve a win-win situation and mutual benefit for both the employers and the employees.