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Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
It is no longer news that the future of work poses challenges for average workers across the world. But the greater task of how workers and their unions can continue to be relevant remains the major focus of global and national labour organisations.
However in its bid to be proactive, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), recently organised a week-long leadership retreat, with the theme, “Strategic Leadership and New Challenges in the Future of Work,” in Enugu State.
The retreat, which ran from Monday to Friday, was the third to be organised by the Union under its incumbent president, Ayuba Wabba.
The retreat was for presidents and general secretaries of NLC’s affiliate industrial unions, chairpersons of state councils and state secretaries.
Wabba, in his address at the 2019 NLC national leadership retreat, noted that this year’s event was the fourth in the series.
“The first was in Calabar, Cross River State, in 2011. The second was also at the Tinapa Resort, Calabar, in August 2015. We later had a more expansive National Leadership Retreat for our leaders at different levels in November 2016 in Sokoto, Sokoto State,” he said. He noted that the retreats have evolved over time as not only one of the finest traditions of Congress, of but also as a strategic pillar of the movement.
Wabba explained that the over-arching goal of this year’s retreat was to get the leadership of Congress at all levels to examine, discuss, brainstorm and proffer pragmatic ideas to the challenges of today and fears of tomorrow confronting Nigerian workers.
He believed that Congress leaders owe it a duty to their followers to go beyond providing solutions to the problems of today, but also to prepare answers to the questions of tomorrow.
“This is why we are here in this secluded suburb of Enugu and have engaged experts to prepare and discuss relevant papers to help us identify the way forward,” he had stated.
Robotics taking over jobs
Currently, Nigerian workers and their trade unions face daunting challenges that have been exacerbated by the rapidly evolving dynamism in the world of work.
On several occasions, different affiliates of the NLC had cried out to Federal Government to address the situation of robotics taking over few jobs available, most especially in the real sector of the economy.
Wabba has said, “While we are confronted by the reality of expanding globalization as manifest in the burgeoning information revolution, demographic shifts, climate change and technological innovation, we are still beset by the debris of the industrial era.
Advancements in internet connectivity, software applications and their carrier cum operating devices are getting more sophisticated.
“While we are yet to fully grasp opportunities offered by 4G wireless technology, the rest of the world has made a quantum leap to 5G cellular technology. As we speak right now, the 5G cellular wireless which apart from carrying live voice, text, image communication and 3D technology can also enable what is popularly known as the Internet of Things (IoT).
While the 5G technology is being unfurled around the world, 6G terahertz-based technology is knocking on the door. Researchers say that the world may not need to wait for another 10 years to realize the 6G technology.
“The 6G technology, which is expected to take robotics and automation technology to the next level and drastically alter the way we process, produce and industrially relate, is a potent death sentence for millions of jobs globally. Comrades, this is the future of work. Are we ready for this? Now is the time to engage tomorrow.”
Emphasising on the reason for this year’s retreat, the NLC president charged members on the need to prepare for the future through capacity building.
“Overall, as we head into the future of work, the gaps in the current skills acquired by our workers need to be bridged. This can only happen through exposing workers to training and re-training through life-long learning programmes. We must also take on board the provisions in the Just Transition in order to ensure justice for workers as the world makes the shift to green productive platforms and processes.
“For us in Nigeria, we cannot afford to allow the future to happen on us. For a change, we must now happen to the future through planning, sustained social dialogue, and robust engagement with every segment of our society.”
The founding President of the NLC, Hassan Sunmonu also stressed the importance of training to workers in the age of technology.
“Training is essential to continue to make us relevant. If you don’t get it now, it will leave us behind”, he said.
The keynote Speaker, Jasper Uche of the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka in his address tasked NLC on the urgency of preparing for the future of work today.
He stated that NLC cannot afford to remain in its hackneyed strategies in tackling subsisting and emerging challenges in a dynamic and fast-paced work environment.
As far as he was concerned, NLC must think out-of-the-box, and lead the pack of progressives to rescue the country from the path of disillusionment if the future of work in Nigeria would escape modern slavery.
He stated, “In a changing world, the mindset of workers in the public sector should change in terms of seeing labour as real creators of wealth. Emerging working class should acquire relevant skills to stay operationally afloat.
“The NLC should invest heavily in research and development (R&D) to enhance the capacities and competences of her pool of talents. That is the only way to buoy up the confidence of the employers and sustain job mobility.”
Stressing the importance of changing with the times, he said that all that was once predicted that would not be possible had all come to pass.
“A professor of Political Science at Harvard University, in one of the semester lectures in 1975, predicted five things that would not happen in his lifetime. They included: (1) That East Germany and West Germany would never unite; (2) That USSR would never disintegrate; (3) That Apartheid policy would never end in South Africa; (4) That a black American would never emerge as the President of United States; (5) That a woman would never be a Prime Minister of United Kingdom.
“Comrades, you will agree with me that all these have all happened. The world is in a perpetual flux, and there are no impossibilities to those who are prepared for tomorrow. The future of wok demands changing with the times,” he said.
Strategic leadership
Another important thing, the NLC said it’s focusing on, is strategic leadership, which it noted was borne out of challenges in work places.
The NLC president, said the current challenges demand that the leadership must deal with the rapidly metamorphosizing challenge of poor working conditions, slave wages, deliberate efforts to prevent or kill trade unionism in the workplaces.
He stated, “We must think outside the box taking into consideration the global realities – changing forms of capital, climate change, drift to extremes in regional and national politics. We must renew our commitment to strategic organising. We must also demonstrate conscientious and exemplary leadership.
“Part of strategic leadership is critical thinking on how best to engage our social partners – government and private sector employers.”
Stressing on the importance of strategic leadership which he said has always been the ideals of the current leadership, Wabba stated that the road to the future starts with the conversations Organised Labour strikes with employers.
According to him, labour must elevate the discourse above generation of jobs to the creation of decent and productive jobs.
He added, “The ILO Commission on the future of work offers a credible roadmap to the future of work we all desire. The emphasis of its report pivots on the three pillars of Increasing Investment in Peoples Capabilities, Increasing Investment in the Institutions of Work, and Increasing Investment in Decent and Sustainable Work. All three pillars are grounded on achieving a human centered agenda for production, industrial relations and governance.”
The keynote speaker who also described a strategic leader as the one with ability to initiate, define and drive a vision; thinks ‘outside the box’ as well as detects unforeseen threats and deciphers opportunities in problems, advised the NLC to seize opportunities around it to build its wealth, even if it is beyond its core mandate.
“Labour movement in Nigeria needs a financial war chest to fight the battle of Nigeria project. It will insulate the union from apron strings of politics of funding and deliberate pauperization by government.
“This will create welfare anchor for members and martyrs of the struggle. It can also serve as a safety net for retirees besides pensions and gratuities,” he said.
Meanwhile participants at the weeklong programme were able to get through various topics in labour administrations at various levels, engagement with governments, issue of gender, investments opportunities as well as workers insurance and pension issues.
