Nigerian workers for all we know have continued to be at the receiving end, talking about remuneration and living wage, compared with their counterparts across the globe. The observance of May Day celebration recently by the Nigerian workers simply put, was to fulfill all righteousness given the not too friendly relationship between the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), with the Federal government. While we celebrated, the irony however is that the condition of the Nigerian worker is yet to improve, despite promises made by past and present governments to improve the living standard of the average worker. The question therefore is; what are Nigerian workers asking for? Beyond calling on the government and employers of labour to treat workers with dignity and respect, provision of decent working condition, fair wages and job security, which the workers have been denied of all these years, other demands by the union, if the aforementioned are addressed, surely would be secondary, and may not generate bad blood between the government and the labour unions and affiliates. The closure of tertiary institutions for almost nine months last year, for example, was due to disagreement that arose between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal government over non-payment of accrued benefits and allowances to its members and other sundry matters, yet to be fully resolved till date.
Interestingly, the outgoing president, Muhammadu Buhari, in his May Day message, advised the incoming government to respect workers’ rights. ”Workers rights coupled with socio-economic justice make a happy workplace. We therefore agree that, a fair economic structure targeted at creating opportunities for all to succeed irrespective of sex, race, ethnicity, age, disability, creed, religion is a sine qua non for progress and development.” Similarly, the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu also assured Nigerian workers that better days are ahead as he gears up to take over the mantle of leadership on May 29, 2023. ”In the Nigeria I shall have the honour and privilege to lead from May 29, workers will have more than a minimum wage.” Interestingly, some of the newly elected Governors in their Workers’ Day message also promised beyond promoting industrial harmony, to address the plights of workers in their various states. Some of those whose tenure will end with the Buhari administration, have increased and even promoted their workers as parting gifts. While it’s too early in the day to rejoice, it is hoped that the incoming administration would pick the pieces of what is left between the present administration and labour in a bid to renew the hope of the Nigerian workers, ultimately. The Nigerian workforce has had many broken promises.
The society, generally is not better off either. The stunted growth witnessed in the country in every facet of our lives is also due to promises not kept by the leaders, both past and present. A society like Nigeria that ignores its workforce as everything is politicised, ideally cannot compete effectively with other countries of the world where government match words with action. May Day is marked globally to commemorate the struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement. The Nigerian workers should be treated with every sense of dignity they deserve. The idea of waiting for workers to down tools before they are paid what is due to them should be jettisoned. Nigerian workers are no less human than their counterparts anywhere in the world. While we are hopeful that promises made to the workers would be kept by the incoming administration, it is also important to emphasise that the Government should stop paying lip service when it comes to addressing the challenges facing workers in the country. The expectations of the Nigerian workers are high and rightly so as stakeholders in the Nigeria project. The Labourer as they say, deserves his or her wages!
