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By Bimbola Oyesola
Organised Labour in Nigeria have come a long way and have their history right from the turn of the century as Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) actually celebrated its 100 years of existence some years back.
That the Trade unions, also have their history with Nigeria Independence struggle and even the present democracy is not debatable.
However, Daily Sun in our special project today to commemorate the Workers Day is looking at those unions setting pace for others among the trade unions movement in the country through carrying out their responsibilities to their members.
As the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, recently observed at the commissioning of a house built by the National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) for his former president, Steven Osidipe, some labour leaders have lost their tract and sold out.
He said, “We are in an era when labour leaders sell out and I say this without mincing words, in the morning, they will say a different thing. In the evening, they will be dining and whining, and they will collect money, they will build houses, they don’t even want anybody to see the house.
“We are not part of such bandwagons, we should learn how to do good things, if you are part of those who do that it will not last, infact sickness will take it away from you.”
Labour unions in the United States or anywhere in the world, are organizations of workers in a common trade who have organized into groups dedicated to improving the workers’ work life.
A trade union generally negotiates with employers on behalf of its members, advocating for improvements such as better working conditions, compensation and job security. These unions play an important role in industrial relations — the relationship between employees and employers.
History
The origins of trade unions can be found in guilds and fraternal organizations composed of people practicing a common trade, which date back hundreds of years. However, the modern conception of trade unions, in which unions represent a specific set of workers in negotiations with employers, dates back only to the 18th century. Membership in unions only became widespread in the United States and Europe in the 19th century.
Trade unions are associations of workers formed to represent their interests and improve their pay and working conditions.
The leaderships of the unions in this write-up were unanimous in what the core duty of a labour union should be, which is to fight for the rights of its members. No doubt, unions play an important role in the workplace. Some of the key roles include being able to resolve workplace issues by being a voice for employees and acting as a bargaining representative during bargaining negotiations.
Task accomplishment
However to accomplish this task, unions devise several ways more so as Nigerian workers and their trade unions presently
face daunting challenges which have been exacerbated by the rapidly evolving dynamism in the world of work.
The NLC President once advised that unions if they must deal with the rapidly metamorphosizing challenge of poor working conditions, slave wages, deliberate efforts to prevent or kill trade unionism in the workplaces, 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.
“In specifics, we must devise sustainable strategies to strengthen our unions especially in the areas of finance and investments,” he said.
As such part of what sets out some of the unions in Nigeria apart from others is their diversification into business, which has enabled them to stand tall and challenge injustice in the workplaces, even in the face of dwindling check off dues.
