Organised Labour will need more collaboration across all sectors to overcome challenges posed to them as trade unions and employees.
This is even as workers in the Petroleum sector of the economy has tasked members on new thinking in the post COVID-19 era.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) said there is need to focus more on information and research, collaboration and engagement, training and development, stakeholder’s management, job security for members centred around skill acquisition and improvement and overall well-being of the members of staff.
PENGASSAN’s General Secretary, Mr Lumumba Okugbawa in a paper titled, “COVID-19 Issues: Challenges and Union Response”, presented in Lagos in commemoration of the Africa Industrialisation Day, said Labour must be open to constructive criticisms and different perspective on any topical matter to allow for best approach and decision.
According to him members must discern new ways of engaging with management and government in the post-COVID-19 era.
Okugbawa called on members to rise to the occasion by ensuring that they offered sound policy alternatives to management and government to ensure that the organised labour was not left behind.
He noted that the policy will not only improve the revenue base, but will also create more jobs for the teeming youths.
He said, “The new thinking and approach shall see us invest in research and development where our members shall be exposed to modern trend in all spheres of business in this post-COVID era.
“Our activism going forward as part of the new thinking and approach shall focus on the bigger picture devoid of self-interest.”
He opined that labour must ensure constructive engagements with all relevant stakeholders geared toward issues like diversification of the economy.
“Also, to attract more stream of income to counter the dwindling revenue, improved productivity through process improvement and above all, job creation and protection through self-development and new skills acquisition, ” he said.
Okugbawa said it is incumbent on all unions to strive to take trade unionism to a higher level in terms of service delivery, competent and motivated members, while they continue to give support and solidarity toward the much-needed concerted efforts as they deal with all these challenges.
He added that the 21st century Trade Union has gone beyond the conventional ways of doing things, but have evolved into a critical stakeholder, partnering with employers and government to ensure that businesses grow and survive because when that is done, the union members shall be well-remunerated and union will be the ultimate winner.