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By Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
Organised Labour has called for stronger collaboration between government and labour to improve productivity and resolve workplace disputes before they escalate into industrial crises.
The workers under the umbrella of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) said the traditional approach of using confrontation to demand workers’ rights was no longer sufficient, stressing the need for dialogue, collective bargaining and data-driven advocacy in addressing labour issues.
President of ASCSN, Shehu Mohammed, speaking at the association’s South West Zonal Workshop in Lagos, with the theme, “A Shift from Confrontation to Collaboration.”
Said, true progress for the Nigerian worker is no longer achieved solely on the streets through friction, but at the round table through data-driven advocacy, mutual respect, collective bargaining and strategic alignment.
According to him, the workshop was aimed at strengthening the capacity of ASCSN members at the federal and state levels and improving their ability to engage government on labour and administrative matters. Mohammed urged members to approach disputes with institutional solutions rather than immediate ultimatums, while encouraging them to adopt modern labour negotiation frameworks that could produce outcomes beneficial to both government and workers.
He said government authorities should be engaged at the early stages of administrative disputes before such issues developed into industrial crises.
He identified three areas of focus for the association’s collaborative approach, including recognising the link between an effective public service and improved worker welfare, engaging government through early-stage dialogue, and equipping members with modern administrative skills.
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Mohammed also called on members to share strategies used in their respective states to resolve workplace disputes without resorting to confrontation.
Representing the Minister of Labour and Employment at the workshop, the Zonal Director/Controller, South West, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mienye Badejo, said government, labour and employers must work together to address challenges relating to productivity, workers’ welfare and decent employment.
Badejo said the ministry’s mandate included promoting industrial peace through dialogue, urging ASCSN to support the process by bringing workplace grievances to the negotiation table early. She said, “The old model of confrontation is costly to everyone. Strikes hurt workers’ pay, government revenue, and service delivery.”
Badejo said the ministry was working on strengthening mediation and early-warning mechanisms within Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while also enforcing compliance with labour regulations.
She urged ASCSN to rely on facts, research and concrete proposals when engaging management rather than waiting until disputes had escalated.
“Shift from reaction to proaction. Use data, research, and engagement with management before issues escalate,” she said.
The ministry also urged the union to participate in capacity building, skills development and workplace safety initiatives as part of efforts to protect workers’ welfare while maintaining government’s capacity to deliver public services.
The ASCSN workshop, which cuts across the six geopolitical zones, was presented by the association as part of its capacity-building programme for members.
