By Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
Workers in the chemical sector of the country have reiterated the need for value addition to Nigerian products exported to other countries to bolster the economy.
The workers under the umbrella of theNational Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), lamented that Nigeria was losing lots of funds that could have added to its foreign exchange.
President of the union, Goke Olatunji, speaking at the 32nd Annual Industrial Relations Seminar of the union in Ilorin, Kwara State, noted that Nigeria was richly endowed with mineral resources, which, if well managed, would restore the glory of the country.
“We cannot continue to export our natural resources without adding value and expect our economy to grow and develop,” he said.
He reasoned that the volume of exports and imports determines economic growth.
“Where import is greater than export, as we experience in Nigeria, it weakens the local currency, causes inflation, manpower turnover, hunger and poverty, which may trigger social unrest such as the recent ‘End bad governance’ protest”.
He said that strategic import policies essential to bolster local production and drive economic growth must take centre stage in the ongoing discussions about Nigeria’s economic future.
Olatunji, however said that manufacturing is critical to driving Nigeria’s economic growth and ensuring a sustainable future for its people, stating that, “the present national economy is not favourable to everyone including businesses.”
He stated that Manufacturers are lamenting daily due to high cost of production as a result of high interest rate, high electricity, while petroleum products that are supposed to be alternative power generation are equally with high cost.
“The roads are bad while different forms of taxes are daily imposed on manufacturers.
“It is a fact that manufacturing remains a surest way for economic growth and development,” he said.
Olatunji said the economic down-turn also affected the industrial sector most and especially workers.
He said that workers on daily basis suffer from job-losses due to redundancy, closure and relocation of factories.
“Majority of them work under precarious conditions with poor salary and no incentives or motivation. The present inflation rate and exchange rate are having negative effects on real value of naira,” he stated.
The NUCFRLANMPE boss lamented that the dollar equivalent of the recently signed minimum wage of seventy thousand naira is far below when it was eighteen thousand naira.
“Let me appreciate our employers for agreeing to sign N87,000 in 2023 as minimum wage in our sector. I wish the narrative is changed from minimum wage to living wage,” he said.
He said the myriads of challenges in the economy, further intensify the union’s resolve to educate its members on the workings of the national economy thereby preparing them for issue-based discussions in their day to day employers – employees relations.
Olatunji said the theme of the workshop ‘Building Human Resources Capacity For Effective Industrial Relations In An Era Of Economic Crisis’, was chosen to highlight the present economic situation in the country.
He submitted that the understanding of the state of the national economy will impact positively on industrial relations in chemical sector.
“This will enrich discussions between the employers and employees, thereby promoting industrial peace and harmony,” he said.
The keynote speaker, Executive Secretary of Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Employers’ Federation (CANMPEF), Mr Femi Oke said human resources are the life blood of an organisation.
He reasoned that despite the application of technology in modern business management, human resources are still relevant and most adaptive resources of the organisation.
“The strategic values of HR stem from the fact that apart from other resources employed in the course of production which are passive, human resources are endowed with discretionary decision-making power and thus have competitive advantage over the other resources,” he stated.