By Victor Ahiuma-Young

NIGERIA Industrial Relations Association, NIRA, some days ago played to experts, professionals, practitioners , students , workers, government and others in the industrial relations practice across the globe . It was the 6th African Regional Congress of the International Labour Relations, ILERA which took place at the University of Lagos. With the theme “Emerging Trends in Employment Relations in Africa: National and International Perspectives”, delegates from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America, participants during the four days congress, examined over 50 employment related issues within and local and international arenas.

Addressing delegates at the opening ceremony, Pioneer President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Secretary-General, Organization of African Trade Union Unity, OATUU, Alhaji Hassan A Sunmonu, lamented that Industrial Relations worked well in most of the countries of the world including African, until the beginning of the ascendancy of neo-liberal right wing economic ideology propagated in the early 1980s, which was enthusiastically adopted and promoted by President Ronald Reagan of the United States of America, and by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom.

According to him: “This neo-liberal economic ideology spread like wildfire throughout the United Nations System, the International Monetary Fund, IMF and the World Bank. It became the dominant economic ideology from 1980 until the financial crash in the United States in 2008, followed by the world economic recession which still subsists today in the US, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia, with the exception of China, India and Brazil. The social, financial and economic disaster inflicted on Africa by the introduction of the orthodox structural adjustment policies, of the IMF and the world Bank between 1980 and 2000 caused economic, financial and social destruction to African countries. They also destroyed Africa’s attempts at industrialization, mass unemployment, massive indebtedness, poverty as well as political instability in many African countries. Regrettably, it also destroyed the industrial relations system in most African countries. This massive social and economic destruction caused by SAPs of the IMF and the World Bank is encapsulated in the African proverb that says “one rich person plus 6 poor people equal seven poor people”.

“It is the general position of African workers and Trade Unions that any socio-economic policy that is not people-centred nor geared towards the welfare of the people and the common good of the society is not even worthy of the support of peoples, workers, employers and governments.

We should all remember that the world is endowed ‘with adequate human and natural resources to sustain the present and future generations, if the resources are prudently managed. We should also remember another African proverb that says “The Sky is wide enough for all the birds to fly together without touching each other’s wings”. Industrial Relations practitioners are therefore exhorted to use good human relations, social dialogue, equity and social justice as important tools of their work to ensure decent jobs for all, and the satisfaction of the following basic needs:- food, housing,: health, education, water, electricity, transport and communication (press, radio, television and ICT).”

Living wage for African workers

Speaking, a Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Issa Aremu, called for an appropriate living wage for African workers because African workers were poorly paid

Comrade Aremu who is also the General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, declared that the greatest threat to April polls in Nigeria, was the non-implementation of the N18.000 new Minimum Wage, saying “a hungry man cannot be a democrat”.

He warned that Nigeria would not achieve its vision 20-2020 without the increasing failing standard of education and said that there was the need to properly fund education system because its value was increasingly dropping.

According to him: “It is recorded that about 80 per cent of student who sat for 2010 West Africa Examination Council failed mathematics and English. This is sad. Without education democracy can not work Without education the country can not conduct election that will produce good leaders and the economy will not move forward.”

The NLC Vice President, faulted the recent unbanning of the importaton of textile materials, took picks, table water among others, arguing that it was pertinent for the country to stop importation of goods it could produce because it was killing local production and contributing to unemployment.

He said: “Jobs have become scarce commodity. Let us consume what we produce and produce what we consume. There is need to return to productivity”, saying that the country must stop importation for it to return to real economy, enhance productivity and create jobs.

In his goodwill message, Mr Segun Osinowo, Director General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) spoke on the need for effective industrial relation practice in government for the economy to grow.

He said it was regrettable that industrial relation issues were not working in Nigeria because trade unions organization and industrial relationship was ineffective.

N50bn package to tackle unemployment

On his part, Minister of labour and productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu said the Federal Government planned to spend not less than N50billion on an action plan that would lead the creation of job opportunities this year.

Chief Wogu explained the provision for this had been made the 2011 budget proposal currently receiving attention at the National Assembly, saying, “this package will be used to test run the National Action Plan on Employment Creation (NAPEC), which has been approved by the executive council of the federation to form the basis for main-streaming job creation into public expenditures. The NAPEC, it would be recalled, arose from an employment summit organised by the federal ministry of labour and productivity as part of efforts to address increasing unemployment in the economy and attendant social and economic consequences.

The minister also revealed plans by the Federal Government to review some of nation’s labour laws as a way of further strengthening employment relations in the country.

“The totality of these issues constitute the primary preoccupation of the federal ministry of labour and productivity at this time. As you already know, labour laws are important in terms of defining employment relations.