By Victor AhiumaYoung

The National Union of Food Beverages and Tobacco Employees, NUFBTE, has taken its newly elected leaders at the unit, branch, and state levels training to enable them to meet the current trend in trade unionism and economic challenges.

In a two-day training programme in Lagos, the over 100 elected officers were tutored on essential knowledge needed for the day-to-day activities of the union’s administration amid the prevailing socio-economic realities.

Welcoming the participants, President of the Union, Garba Ibrahim noted that the training and re-training of its officers and members remain a core vision of its leadership, informing that “the union’s target is to ensure that all rank and file members acquire the essential knowledge needed for day-to-day activities and also to upgrade their individual trade union capacity.”

Represented by his Deputy, Sylvester Etaeigho, Ibrahim urged participants to allow the training to impact positively on their job performance and industrial peace and harmony, saying “I implore you to give this training the best of your mental and physical attention, an unreserved concentration that will enable you to assimilate all lectures and training to be delivered.”

He stressed that the course content was deliberately packaged to “expose participants to the rudiments of trade union’s practices and equally avail them on the limitless potential to accomplish short and long term benefits that will ultimately guarantee industrial peace, harmony and enhance productivity.”

Similarly, NUFBTE’s General Secretary, Mike Olanrewaju, informed that over the years, the union had placed training of its members in the forefront especially for them to be able to navigate the current economic situation in the area of trade union activism.

He said, “Dear participants ensure you maximize the benefits of the training and be ready to exhibit knowledge acquired at your various duty posts.”

In his opening remarks, principal partners, Heaven Dove Resources and Consultant, Dr Leke Success, said facilitators “are experts in trade union and industrial relations matters and have been carefully selected to handle different papers at the two-day induction training.”