Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on economies, the need for a human-centred recovery from the crisis by nations has been emphasised, TOBA AGBOOLA reports.
What is the best solution to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? To workers, it is a human-based approach. Experts agree. They, however, added that this should be based on an all-inclusive growth and employment, protection of workers, universal social protection and social dialogue.
The recovery, they argued, should not only be to improve people’s living standards and reduce inequalities, but to also empower people to navigate the challenges imposed by a rapidly changing world of work.
The experts believe that the policy window for embarking on a high-road strategy in support of robust social protection systems need to be seized to make rapid progress towards universal social protection systems while preparing for present and future challenges.
They canvassed that green and just transition holds massive potential for countries, particularly by investing in more sustainable and diversified economies as well as in the creation of new productive employment opportunities.
According to them, it is time to show solidarity and to increase investments in universal social protection, decent work and gender-equal societies.
In Nigeria, for instance, President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, at various fora, called for adequate implementation of social protection cover for workers, following the insecurity bedevilling the country.
Specifically, at the NLC roundtable on social protection cover, Wabba stated that social protection was key to human security and social justice, noting that it is the foundation for peaceful societies committed to shared wealth and prosperity.
He noted that the crisis of insecurity has very strong ties with human insecurity, especially as marked by the dearth of social protection cover for the poor and vulnerable in the society.
He noted that social protection was a fundamental human right, intended not only to set a minimum social security floor but to also play an important role in alleviating poverty and providing economic security for all.
According to him: “Social protection floor such as basic income security including cash transfers where needed, pensions, disability benefits, unemployment benefits and support, maternity protection, child benefits as well as universal access to essential social services such as health, education, water sanitation and housing makes a lot of difference.”
Wabba, who notedthe emergence of the pandemic had exposed the weakness of the global economic model and social protection system, said Africa has the least social protection coverage for its citizens leaving most Africans vulnerable to economic shocks, poverty, hunger, huge sickness burden, illiteracy, and destitution.
He expressed worry that the state of social protection cover and standard of living indices left very little to be desired.
As at last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed that about 83 million Nigerians representing 40 per cent of the total population live in abject poverty.
Wabba said: “In the absence of any modicum of sustained social protection cover, the only available alternative is to resort to a life of crime.This is the reason many young people are being attracted to terrorism, kidnap for ransom, rural cum urban banditry, armed robbery, militancy, prostitution, thuggery, and other forms of violent crime.”
At the forum, Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, stated that social protection was one of the most important responsibilities of the government.
He said it was a constitutional obligation to ensure that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, a reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pensions, and the unemployment, sick persons and welfare of the disabled are provided for.
He added: “I have always believed that any politician whatever party he belongs to that does not have the interest of workers at heart is not a true politician. I believe that the reason why any politician should exist is the people.
“I want to assure you that in the House of Representatives, we are committed to using the tools of legislative authority to advance solutions and implement policies that will help achieve the promise of the more perfect union. These are challenging times for our country.”
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director-General, Guy Ryder, said at the last meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that a two-track recovery was creating a divergence, which put it at risk and undermines trust and solidarity.
According to him, the recovery is uneven, spurred by differences between advanced and developing economies in access to vaccines, the fiscal capacity and ability of governments to respond, a growing digital divide and the threat of a looming debt crisis.
Governments across the world have implemented unprecedented employment and social protection response to protect people’s health, employment and incomes.
Approximately 1,700 social protection and labour market measures were rolled out. But while these measures acted as important shock absorbers, they remained insufficient to mitigate the full impact of the crisis and were mostly implemented in advanced economies, leaving 53.1 per cent of the global population unprotected – some 4.14 billion people.
Despite the disproportionate impact of the crisis on women’s employment and incomes, only 13 per cent of these measures were aimed at strengthening women’s economic security and only 11 per cent provided support in the face of rising unpaid care demands.
Also, in many countries, social protection measures, including income support, have been temporary or ad-hoc in nature and now risk being rolled back despite their positive impact on poverty prevention and mitigation.
