By Victor Ahiuma-Young
The new Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong and the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, were Monday inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu, alongside others.
The coming of the two ministers has returned life and vibrancy to the ministry following the exit of Senator Chris Ngige and Festus Keyamo, who served under the last administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
There is no doubt that stakeholders in the nation’s industrial relations space, are aware of the challenges in the sector and expect the ministers to settle down immediately because there are serious works to be done. Consequently, the Political head of the Ministry, Lalong must hit the ground running by prioritising Labour Administration Education for stakeholders especially government officials, employers and labour leaders focusing on social dialogue as it is the bedrock of the relationship between employers whether as government or private sector and workers through their leadership or representatives.
Social dialogue
Most of the industrial unrest in the country must have been avoided if parties had adhered strictly to the principles of social dialogue.
What is social dialogue? The International Labour Organisation, ILO, defines social dialogue to include all aspects of negotiations, consultations or exchange of information between, or among representatives of government, workers and employers on issues of common interest relating to economic and social policy.
In other words, whatever policy at the workplace that is not a product of a social dialogue can be a potential for industrial dispute or conflict, which ultimately may lead to unrest.
Labour laws review
Another issue that Lalong should address urgently is the review of the nation’s obsolete labour laws.
Fortunately, the last administration alongside social partners has done a great job on the review. What is probably left is for stakeholders in the National Labour Advisory Council, NLAC, to meet and approve the final draft for an executive bill to be forwarded to the National Assembly to legislate on.
Unfortunately, this was not done before the exit of the last administration. There are concerns among stakeholders that there are moves to alter the draft bill hence the minister should ensure that a meeting of NLAC is convened immediately for stakeholders to own the final draft bill before the legislative process is embarked upon.
It is believed that if the draft bill is legislated on as agreed, it will go a long way toward addressing most lapses in labour relations in the country including issues of precarious and indecent employment practices and policies.
Respect for CBA
In the same vein, the minister should as a matter of national interest ensure that employers whether public or private sector, respect and honour collective bargaining agreement, CBA, to minimize industrial unrest .
If CBAs are not respected, it breeds lawlessness, mistrust, insincerity and suspicion among others, and ultimately industrial conflict .
The minister should also find solution to the growing cases of precarious and indecent employment practices in Nigeria including casualisation, outsourcing, contract staffing of workers, opposition to unionisation of workers, and non-payment of salaries and other benefits.
Some other issues needing urgent attention are abuses whether sexual or otherwise, and unsafe working conditions among others.
In all sectors of the nation’s labour space, from manufacturing, financial, educational , the power, Petroleum, telecommunications, Maritime, Construction, the Media, Servicing sectors to the public sector, Nigeria’s workplaces are gradually becoming slave camps for slave drivers. The minister should find an immediate solution to these abuses.
Lalong must work with Organised Labour and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, to end this menace and chart a way forward for indecent employment policy and practice.
The Minister of Labour should be a manager of men, a human resource guru, a mediation expert and a touch-notch conciliator because, by his position, the minister is the Conciliator-in-Chief of the country. He must be above board and have the ability to work as a government official without being a government officer.
The minister should not be an office minister, but rather a workplace minister who visits factories frequently and holds stakeholders’ meetings with employers and workers. Meaning, the minister should inspect factories, and talk to employers and workers about working conditions to stoke productivity.
Lalong should ensure that the Factory Inspectorate Division of the ministry is strengthened because as it is today, it is not only grossly understaffed but also lacks working tools. The few factory inspectors in the ministry are only based in Abuja. The state’s offices of the ministry, hardly boast of one factory inspector.
Lalong pedigree
The new Minister of Labour and Employment is a former two terms governor of Plateau State and also served two terms in the Plateau State House of Assembly as a lawmaker.
He also served as Chairman of, the House Committee on Judiciary; Member of the House Committee on Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs, Public Accounts/Petition and Agriculture.
Lalong was also a Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly and was regarded as the longest-serving Speaker in the history of the Plateau State legislature for seven years (2000 – 2006).
During his tenure as governor, he was a member of the Committee on Review of Minimum Wage, Presidential Food Security Council, and Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum (2019 – 2023), leading the 19 Northern States Governors.
A Lawyer, among others, the new Labour Minister attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; The Nigerian Law School Lagos, and the University of Jos, and obtained the qualifications of Bachelor of Law (LL.B), Barrister at Law (BL) and Master in Law (LL.M) respectively.
At the end of his National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) in the Legal Unit of FCDA Abuja, Lalong worked with the T- Obot & Co. Legal Practitioners, and Victor Fomwul & Co. Jos as a Managing Partner, before setting up his Firm, Simon B. Lalong & Co. Legal Practitioners as the Principal Partner.
We hope his tenure as the Minister of Labour and Employment,will usher in a lasting legacies judging from from his intimidating profile. Time shall tell.
Source: Vanguard
