Category: Labour

By Toba Agboola

The Director-General, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Guy Ryder, has called on G20 countries to protect people, jobs, income and enterprises from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He welcomed the commitment of the G20 leaders as an important first step in constructing a truly global response to the  challenges of the pandemic.

Ryder made the submission during the G20’s extraordinary virtual summit on the pandemic,  hosted by Saudi Arabia.

“The G20’s strong and clear commitment to do whatever it takes to overcome the intertwined health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic is a very welcome first step. Their decision to spare no efforts to protect people, jobs, incomes and enterprises is extremely important.

“This is the time for global solidarity, especially with the most vulnerable people in societies, and with the emerging and developing world. We must also offer our full support to the health workers who are in the front lines of the medical response,” he added.

The ILO chief emphasised that the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly turned into a global economic crisis that could easily become a global recession.

He, therefore, called for specific measures to support workers. These measures, according to him, should include extending social protection, supporting employment retention (i.e. short-time work, paid leave, other subsidies), and financial and tax relief, including for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

“In the 2008/9 financial crisis, the world came together and the worst was averted. We have the chance to do the same now, and to do it better. But we must act now so that the 2020s are not a rerun of the 1930s,” he said.

Ryder also called for the use of social dialogue – engaging with workers and employers and their representatives – as a vital way for building public trust and support for the type of measures that work to overcome a crisis.

He declared that COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of the world economies and exposed the deep fault lines in the labour markets.

Ryder said the human dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic reach far beyond the critical health response.

He said: “All aspects of our future will be affected – economic, social and developmental. Our response must be urgent, coordinated and on a global scale, and should immediately deliver help to those most in need.

“From workplaces, to enterprises, to national and global economies, getting this right is predicated on social dialogue between governments and those on the front line – the employers and workers –so that the 2020s don’t become a re-run of the 1930s.”

To many, outsourcing is a bad omen to the economy. Not so, say experts who believe the model has a lot of advantages, TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

The dream of every worker, all things being equal, is to put in long and unbroken years of service as permitted by the law, and retire to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

But the times have changed, no thanks to the undulating forces of demand and supply that have so  impacted the economy, such that workers have been badly hit. As such, job security has become a mere rhetoric.

To survive, employers have devised several means, such as rightsizing and downsizing. In  clear language, it means job loss with its attendant consequences for workers and their families.

Employers who know the implications of this  loss to their productivity and their brands’ sustainability in the competitive marketplace have adopted another strategy to keep the best of their workers on part time: outsourcing.

Experts say the ability of businesses to attract rich but diversified intellectuals is fundamental for the future of work, as flexible arrangements will be common with a workforce that consists of various groups of full-time employees, contract, freelance talents, and others, which have no connection to a brand.

To ensure employability, therefore, employees have been urged to keep learning either at work or by taking time off to improve skills, as learning is changing from ‘just-in-case’, to just-in-time, where tools that would be needed for upcoming tasks are learnt.

President and Chairman of Governing Council, Institute for Certified BPO & Shared Services Professionals (IBPOSSP), Dr Peter Akindeju, said the future lies in dynamic employability, especially in emerging economies.

He noted that the dominant employment model will consist of a collaborative, transparent, technology-enabled and rapid-cycle way of doing business through network and ecosystems of workers who work as intellectual mercenaries.

He emphasised that individuals would need to shift from the need for career resilience, defined by distinct set of responsibilities tied to a particular career, to dynamic employability skills and competencies that could be applied to a range of roles.

He stated that outsourcing will continue to be a disruptive force in the labour market.

“Outsourcing is a major economic enabler taking over the business world. Countries like China, Brazil, Malaysia, and India, among others, are using it to boost their economy. Earlier, businesses were more interested in owning, managing, and controlling assets directly unlike what it is today that both core and non-core can be outsourced.

“The demand of the business world has birthed these realities for organisations to compete globally, increase flexibility and creativity. Globalisation, technological progress and demographical changes are having a profound impact on society and labour market. It is crucial that policies that help workers and society at large to manage the transition with the least possible disruption, while maximising the potential benefits are formulated,” he said.

He charged fellows of the institute should serve as a voice for the industry, develop the body of knowledge through skills acquisition and be customer-centric in their approach to business.

The Head, People Outsourcing, ICS Outsourcing Nigeria Limited, Kunbi Adekeye, said self-driven performance and skills would drive changes in people.

According to her, the concept of retirement would go into extinction as employees in their senior years would continue to stick around much longer, rendering their experience and service through outsourcing.

Adekeye said: “Skill demands are changing so rapidly that even when a company lays out what it requires now, by the end of the year that will be different. From adaptability to building brand, these are essential skills that workers will need to navigate a changing work environment and flourish in the next decade.”

 

Coleman Wires and Cable has said the welfare of its workers is more important to the company, adding that it has been consistent in paying salaries and benefits.

In a statement, the Administration Manager,  Fatai Adebimpe, said some workers staged a peaceful protest on an allegation that the company refused to pay their entitlements.

According to him, there was no time we owed workers salary even when the company had financial challenge. We ensured prompt payment of salaries, even to one of our staff who died. Recently, the company purchased a bus for the convenience of our workers,” he said.

Also, on the trade dispute between the management and the staff, the Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria had written to Coleman on the need to intervene in the matter.

The National President of the union, Comrade Elijah Adigun, said: “We refer to the trade dispute between our union and your management as it relates to the non-implementation of the 2019 National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) collective agreement dated 8th October, 2019 for the benefit of your employees.

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“Kindly note that in the circumstance that we find ourselves, we have no opinion than to prevail on our member-workers in your company to withdraw their services in the event that you fail to implement the NJIC collective agreement on or before 19th of March, 2020.”

In its response, the management of Coleman promised to look into the NJIC collective agreement based on the company’s financial capacity cum affordability and communicate same to the union.

“It was agreed that the issue of communication gap should not be allowed to be a barrier, hence the management promised to look into the training of workers once a year and also educate the staff during the end of the year party of the company.

“The Coleman management and the union were invited by the Ministry of Labour to come for a reconciliatory meeting on the 26th of March, 2020 and, however, the union decided to take action as against agreement had by the two parties,” Adebimpe said.

It would be recalled that some workers, including the trainees, embarked on strike, requesting salary increment.

 

 

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said the global economic and labour crisis created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could increase global unemployment rate by almost 25 million.

According to the ILO, the virus has made a huge negative impact on the world’s economies, especially developing nations.

In a statement, ILO warned that the economic and labour crisis triggered by the spread of  coronavirus, which has infected over 200,000 people and killed more than 8,000 people worldwide, would have far-reaching impacts on labour market outcomes.

“This is no longer only a global health crisis, it is also a major labour market and economic crisis that is having a huge impact on people,” ILO boss, Guy Ryder said in a statement.

According to him, studies considered different scenarios, including a best-case scenario, which pictures quick government intervention and high level of diplomatic coordination, and the best scenario showed a minimum of 5.3 million people rendered jobless by the crisis.

On the worse end, the crisis will see 24.7 million people become jobless, on top of the 188 million registered as unemployed last year.

President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba said  past health crises in Nigeria, including Ebola, SARS, and the Swine Flu, showed that accountability and transparency requirements might need to be modified during emergency situations.

Ayuba, who is also International Trade Union Congress (ITUC) President, said: “This is no longer only a global health crisis; it is also a major labour market and economic crisis that is having a huge impact on people.’’

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He emphasised that underemployment was also expected to increase on a large scale in the country, as the economic consequences of the virus outbreak translates into reductions in working hours and wages.

“Self-employment in Nigeria, which often serves to cushion the impact of changes, may not do so this time because of restrictions on the movement of people, for instance service providers and goods,” he said.

Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Auwa Musa Rafsanjani, explained that Nigeria as a democratic government with progressive agenda in light of the COVID-19 crisis should know that this was a good time to heed the advice of development to restructure and rebuild the systems in place.

“It is clear that workers in Nigeria irrespective of their employment arrangements needed  to access health care, stay at home when feeling unwell to not report to work sick, and benefit from income support in case of a crisis-related reduction of working time or job loss,” he said.

He added: “If USA releases $trillion emergency stimulus to pay each citizen $1,000, UK releases $330 billion business loan package, Germany releases $600billion stimulus, Canada releases $20billion economic relief package, stops payment of rents, Italy releases 26billion, pay the rent, pay baby sitter 600euros while Nigeria removed N20.00 from fuel price, answers to questions on how the outbreak could evolve are inherently uncertain, and they could change as the Federal Government adopts additional measures to control the outbreak.”

Experts, who include labour leaders and workers, have met at a workshop in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital to chart a path for the sector, writes TOBA AGBOOLA.

 

How to move the labour sector forward topped discussions at a forum in Ibadan. On the the cards were the Federal Government’s policies, which participants praised, especially those that focus on the manufacturing sector.

The participants, who included labour leaders, workers and repoters, however, urged the government to improve on the working environment, education and technology to boost the nation’s productivity.

Besides, they maintained that for Nigeria to achieve the desired output as well as improve productivity, there was the need to declare emergency in the energy sector.

At the workshop entitled: “Media as change agent in industrial and labour relations”, organised by Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN) in Ibadan, Vice President, Industrial Global Union, Comrade Issa Aremu, said Nigeria fell below capacity in production, urging that considerable work was needed to be done to boost national productivity.

He said the challenge lies with the National Productivity Centre (NPC).

The labour chief stated that as Nigeria marks its 60th independence anniversary this year, the need to be more productive to compete favourably was pertinent. According to him, there is no better time to act than now.

He declared that Nigeria is no longer a productive nation of the post-colonial era of 60s and 70s. He called on members of LAWAN to be change agents that Nigeria needs to produce what it consumes.

“We still consume what we do not produce; export raw materials that we should have turned to manufactured goods, import same products produced by others with tears. We import unemployment and export jobs. This must change. Productivity is an input/output relationship.

“We must incentivise productivity to make Nigeria productive. We must reward value addition possibly more than we must damn value depletion, which is what corruption and graft is. LAWAN has a critical role in raising awareness about productivity,” Aremu said.

Acknowledging that productivity cannot improve without an efficient workforce, he emphasised the need for an effective staff competence and effectiveness.

He said every worker should be educated to understand that he has a stake in his workplace.

On how to improve productivity, he suggested that organisations must imbibe work culture and ethics, such as punctuality, avoid absenteeism, management prerogatives, motivate the workforce and respect procedures, among others, in the organisation.

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In the past, according to him, organisations attached a lot more importance to capital, to the neglect of labour, but the situation has changed for the better.

‘Most organisations now recognise that their most valuable asset is their workforce, because it is the effectiveness and efficiency of the employee that determines the organisation’s productivity level,” he added.

Aremu said Nigeria’s efforts to meet the new Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 of 2030 may be a mirage without cutting down on the excessive public holidays.

He said the most precious input factor in productivity was time management. He blamed Nigeria for spending most of its productive time on holidays.

“Nigeria parades the highest number of public holidays on earth. Some of these holidays legitimise idleness rather than promoting decent work with respect to rest. No need for a free working day to “mark” Democracy Day, a day arbitrarily chosen by one man in office that could even fall on a Monday.

Children should be in school on a Monday in the name of democracy. I agree with President Muhammadu Buhari’s message on the day that stressed the need for Nigerians to embrace high productivity in their professions to increase the country’s growth and development. But it must start with simple things like time management. Avoid lateness.

“Nigeria works eight hours, five days a week. But on average, other 19 countries in our preferred club of 20 most developed countries, work longer hours, six days a week. Out of 365 days in a year, Nigeria is at rest for some 120 days.”

Also, Executive Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, Lanre Arogundade,  urged labour reporters to be professional. He said they should arm themselves with necessary fact-checking and investigative tools to report industrial and labour issues.

He said to develop focused and effective communication activities that promote the confidence in industrial/labour relations, it is vital to understand the role of the media.

According to him, such knowledge could disclose the peculiarities of the country’s labour and industrial development and could create preconditions for implementation of corrective actions in targeted areas.

Earlier, Chairman, LAWAN, Bimbola Oyesola, noted that the essence of the capacity building workshop was to get members informed in their reportage on issues in the sector.

She said it was important for reporters to improve on their capacity for effective reportage. She urged reporters on the need to ensure a balanced reportage.

By Toba Agboola

Amid the outbreak of coronavirus, the need for employers to invest in workers’ awareness on prevention and control of the deadly disease has become paramount.

Experts said there must be more investment by employers to halt the spread of the virus.

A labour expert, Issa Aremu, gave some hints in preventing the virus, such as regular and washing of the hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or sanitiser or washing of hands with soap and water.

He urged workers to adhere to advice given by healthcare provider, national and local public health authority and employers on how to protect themselves and others from the virus.

Meanwhile, a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found that third of businesses have no plan in place if one of their employees tests positive for Covid-19.

It also revealed how Human Resource (HR) professionals are responding to the virus, with experts stressing the importance of patient confidentiality.

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The survey by CIPD polled more than 640 HR professionals to find out what they are doing in their organisations to deal with the threats posed to the health of employees and their businesses.

Majority of the professionals answered questions on continuity of planning, sick pay and self-isolation. The poll found 33 per cent of employers did not have a plan in place in case one of their employees tested positive to Coronavirus.

A lecturer of Human Resource Management at Cranfield University, Dr. Debora Gottardello, said  in the event of an employee contracting the virus, the relevant authorities, such as local authority health protection teams, must be notified.

“HR can also communicate to employees the presence of a case within the company, making sure to maintain the confidentiality of employees with confirmed Coronavirus,” Gottardello added.

She advised that employers’ legal obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees meant that collaboration is necessary.

She said workers also have an obligation to report to the employer any situation of danger to health and safety in the workplace.

Partner at Langleys Solicitors, Mini Setty, reiterated that businesses must withhold the infected employee’s identity under the country’s data protection law.

“A worker’s personal health data is ‘special category data’, and, therefore, must be omitted from any communication with the rest of the workforce,” Setty said.

Chief Executive Officer, BrightHR, Alan Price, said employers that find themselves in a potential outbreak situation should ask affected employees to self-isolate, and that communication with their co-workers should remain calm.

“If colleagues could have been exposed to an individual suffering from the virus, employers should calmly inform staff of the situation and tell them what steps the company will take going forward,” Price said.

In spite of calls for more participation of women   in the economy, governance and policy making, women still do not have the same opportunities as men in Nigeria and other countries, reports TOBA AGBOOLA.

 

THE average female labour force participation rate across countries is still 20 per cent lower than their male counterparts, while gender gaps in wages and access to education still persist, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF) economic review reports.

The report also showed that greater gender equality boosts economic growth and leads to better development and social outcomes.

Similarly, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in its release to mark the 2020 Women International Day,  estimates that reducing the gender gap in participation in governance to 25 per cent by 2025 can boost global gross domestic product (GDP) by 3.9 per cent.

Gender equality is also one of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that 193 countries committed to achieve by 2030.

Since the mid-1980s, many countries have adopted fiscal policy measures to promote gender equality. Countries use tax and expenditure policies to address gender inequality and the advancement of women in areas such as education and economic empowerment.

As of 2018, at least 80 countries have used gender-responsive fiscal policy interventions to reduce gender inequality.

Experts said that understanding the effects of gender-responsive fiscal policies not only on gender inequality, but also on other macroeconomic and social variables is essential for policymakers to design effective and sustainable gender-responsive fiscal policy measures, particularly in a fiscally-constrained environment.

They said gender-responsive fiscal policies could support female labour force participation and have important macroeconomic and distributional effects.

As the world marks the International Women’s Day (IWD) this week, with the theme: I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights, the emerging global consensus is that despite some progress, real change has been agonisingly slow for the majority of women and girls in the world.

Experts stress the need for government at all levels to empower women across the country to promote economic development.

They insisted that to consolidate the gains of gender mainstreaming, affiliate unions need to take practical steps by moving forward from policy to action for the promotion of gender equality, labour rights and standards for women.

President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSIBIFI), Oyinkan Olasanoye, said the gender gap  is getting wider by the day.

Before now at the National Assembly, she said, there used to be more women but the gap now is getting wider, making the call for gender parity wishful thinking.

“Because it is at the point of decision making that we need more women not at the grassroots for us to be able to achieve gender equality. We are appealing that they should give us fairness and equity, give us a level playing field for us to be able to compete favourably.

“It is still a surprise that our leaders in Nigeria do not realise that when they empower women, they empower development and economic activities.

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“ I appeal to my fellow women that when it is time to vote, we should vote for more women, encourage ourselves and those at the top should create mentorship for those of us coming behind them,” she said.

She acknowledged that there has been increase from the labour unions encouraging women into leadership positions.

She said: “Our leaders in the labour force have realised that they can’t clap with one hand. They are now encouraging us. They have become a source of mentor to women, which has made us to see more women in the labour sector.”

A former President of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU), Ladi Iliya, insisted that to consolidate the gains of gender mainstreaming, affiliate unions needed to take practical steps by moving forward from policy to action for the promotion of gender equality, labour rights and standards for women, young workers and other vulnerable groups.

She insisted that gender mainstreaming will enhance decent work thereby creating a free, safe and conducive environment, saying addressing related issues such as low representation of women and young workers in decision-making bodies and processes is very important.

Senior Vice Chairman, Standard Chartered Bank Group, Mrs. Bola Adesola, argued that with about 96.6 million women in Nigeria, the participation of women in key decision-making areas across all sectors of the economy is abysmally low.

Adesola, who spoke on: Female participation: An Imperative for National Development, at a forum in Lagos, said for national development to take place, participation and involvement of women can no longer be ignored.

However, for women to participate actively in national development, she noted that certain obstacles must be removed, and an enabling environment that empowers women to rise is equally essential.

Adesola, who cited Rwanda as one of the countries with the highest female representation in parliament in the world with 61 per cent representation, said Nigeria has one of the lowest rates in female representation in parliament across Africa and globally.

For Nigeria to achieve higher female representation across the board, she noted that there is a need for Nigerian women to empower themselves to participate actively in governance and leadership in the three tiers of government.

While celebrating the IWD, president of the World Bank Group, David Malpass, re-emphasised that the World Bank Group stands ready to join forces with all stakeholders working to empower women and unleash their economic potential.

He said globally, women-led businesses face a credit gap of $1.5 trillion, stressing that gender-focused policies and programmes can further enable girls and women to realise their economic potential.

The National President, African Women Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP), Mrs Angela Ajala, said this is the right time in Nigeria’s history to help find a better gender balanced world, adding that the theme  is very apt because in many countries, especially in Nigeria, there has not been balance for women in many areas.

She said this is an opportunity for women to engage government on how to have a more gender balanced world in appointments, nominations and engagements at various levels of government.

For gender balance to be achieved, she said women want awareness creation and implementation of developmental policies and opportunity to progress for women in government.

“We are asking for regular interactive engagement with various agencies of government.

‘’Nigerian women need a step-by-step planning as we move on in the year and for the new dispensation to really move us forward to the next level in line with the slogan in gender balance,” she said.

Our Reporter

 

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the proposed bill to outlaw casualisation and outsourcing at the House of Representatives.

The Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPAN) is kicking against the bill proposing to outlaw outsourcing in Nigeria by the House of Representatives.

The bill which has passed the second reading was sponsored by Hon Wale Raji representing Epe Federal Constituency.

The national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has praised the bill which seeks to criminalised casualisation, describing it as patriotic and humane.

The Director-General of NECA, Dr Timothy Olawale, who spoke on the bill, said he appreciated the concern of the lawmakers in ensuring decent work for all Nigerians.

He noted that, over the years, NECA had frowned at casualisation, as it is against the principles of decent work and international best standards and practices of the ILO.

“We, in fact, frown at all practices that tend to treat labour as a commodity to be exploited,” he said.

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According to him, the bill is also coming at a time the social partners under the leadership of the Federal MiniAstry of Labour and Employment are currently reviewing the entire Labour laws with the technical support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

President of HuCaPAN, Aderemi Adegboyega, who maintained that outlawing outsourcing in Nigeria would hurt the economy as well as create job loss, said: “Instead of proposing to outlaw outsourcing in Nigeria, the only rational thing to do is to ratify the ILO Convention 181 – Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181) and include it in the proposed Labour Act (Amendment) 2019.

“The Inspectorate Unit of the Federal Ministry of Labour must be empowered to ensure that the national decent job deficit comes to nil. This would be in line with HuCaPAN objective and guiding motto ‘wherever a Nigerian is found working, he must have a decent job.”

NUPENG, however, lauds the House of Representatives for initiating a bill to criminalise casualisation of workers.

NUPENG in a statement jointly signed by the President and the General Secretary, Comrade Comrade (Prince) Williams Eniredonana Akporeha and Comrade Afolabi Olawale, said: “NUPENG is specially pleased with the patriotic and humane efforts being made by the 9th Assembly of the House of Representatives in the ongoing process for the passage of a bill seeking to amend the Labour Act to criminalise casualisation of workers in Nigeria.”