A Happy Worker Vs. Workers Day!, by Vivian DANIEL, Abuja.

A Happy Worker Vs. Workers Day!, by Vivian DANIEL, Abuja.

Introduction

May 1st every year is observed as the Workers’ Day in Nigeria which is also the day set aside to acknowledge, commend and honour the hard work and commitment of the Nigerian workforce. It is also celebrated in other countries and is called International Labour Day. While Nigeria follows suit as the day is equally declared a national holiday in Nigeria and is celebrated by workers in all 36 states alongside the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT).

How Is Workers’ Day Celebrated in Nigeria?

In Nigeria, workers come together on this particular day from all sectors – public and private to mark the day with rallies, marchpast, speeches, different competitions that selects the best worker for the year, and other activities held at the Eagle Square, Abuja, in a bid to commemorate or celebrate the enormous contribution of an average worker (men and women) who work tirelessly to give their best to contribute immensely to the Nigerian economy.

Much More Than A Day for Celebration

Workers’ Day is not only meant for celebration. It should serve as a day for reflection and renewal of the commitment each worker has towards the organisation they serve or represent. One should be able to ask himself or herself the following critical questions:

“Am I living up to the expectation of my employer or those I am answerable to in my workplace?”?

“To what extent am I contributing to more of the success stories of the organisation or the department I am saddled with”?

“Am I meeting up to the target I am given and if not, what should I do differently to raise the bar to achieve more success”?

“What values do I bring to the table from time to time?”

“Am I a team player or one who makes the life of his or her colleagues miserable at the workplace”?

“How do I view the feedback mechanism – as a witch-hunt, a way for improvement or a means of undermining your leadership capacities or person…”?

In general, no matter your level or status in your workplace, no one is above these critical questions and more importantly, as a boss, the onus is on you to do much more for your staff or your subordinates to improve their working conditions and to get them to give their best in return to your organisation. And, this takes me to the next subject matter.

A Happy Worker – What It Entails

It is no doubt that the Nigerian workforce is made up of individuals, personalities, and/or leaders who work in different sectors along with power, healthcare, agriculture, education, transportation, manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, and many more, who are the pillar of the Nigerian economy and without their contributions, our nation would not be where it is today towards its growth and development.

It should be remembered that the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola while marking this year’s May 1st occasion commended workers for their hard work, diligence, and sacrifice, noting that their efforts are largely responsible for the greatness of the country and the respect Nigeria now commands in the comity of nations.

But THE BIG QUESTION is, how are the average workers treated?

While Nigerian workers come together to celebrate their achievements, the numerous challenges they face, how they are treated and the conditions with which they labour to contribute to the nation’s economy, both in the private and public sectors should be at the forefront and should use these sorts of occasion to also demand majorly for the following:

Better and improved working conditions:

Nigeria, having a population of over 200 million people, is undoubtedly a blessed country along with abundant natural resources – oil, minerals, natural gas, and has a huge deposit in the agricultural sector. There is no reason why the working conditions of many Nigerians should remain as it has been, with many workers facing low wages that can barely meet their individual or monthly needs, talkless that of their families. You also find many informal sectors that engage workers for months and years without formalising their appointments let alone putting them on the official salary payroll.

Top-notch working environments:

Many workers like my friend, James A., are forced to work in unsafe and unhealthy environments, such that an engineer or an architect like himself would be made to climb an 8 or more-storey building and yet, he does not even have an employment letter from the organisation he worked for about 2-3 years, up until he was sacked (with a word of mouth).

How about those who work in factories with poor ventilation, inadequate safety equipment, and mosquitoes-filled environments? This can result in terminal illnesses and/or injuries, which can have long-term consequences on the workers’ health.

Training and learning opportunities:

Without mincing words, learning, training, and retraining are the most effective ways to get workers to be more valuable, to give their best, and to contribute to the realisation of organisational vision and goals. Irrespective of anyone’s skills, fields, or profession, there is the need to continuously learn, unlearn and relearn to stay globally competitive in whichever sector you are in. But how many organisations are committed to providing learning and training opportunities to their workforce? Most organisations want to cut costs or cut corners and yet expect their workers to perform magic in achieving results.

In the same vein, many workers would rather siphon the money meant for training for their gains instead of going for the training properly. These sorts of occasions – workers’ day celebrations – should make staff affected in this aspect have a change of heart and renew their commitment to the organisation they represent.

World standard wages and improved benefits:

Issues like housing, healthcare, and transportation allowances should not be bargained for by the employees and their employers. It should come naturally, knowing that a labourer is worthy of his or her wages, along with the issue of reserving a befitting pension for retirees. The problem of many Nigerian workers not having access to social protection schemes, such as health insurance and pension schemes should be attended to as a matter of urgency. Workers should be duly covered in case of illness, injury, or retirement, and should not be left vulnerable to unpleasant economic surprises. Also, those who work for more hours should be paid overtime and should be made to observe their annual leave when due. That way, it would not impact negatively on their health and general well-being.

Worker’s right protection:

Certain issues where a worker’s right is grossly violated and nothing is done about it should be attended to going like never before, along with cases of sexual assaults arising from a superior to his or her subordinates. Justice, equity, and fairness in cases of misunderstandings in the workplace and many more issues equally call for serious concern as well.

Notwithstanding, it should be recalled that the government of Nigeria has taken several steps to improve the working conditions of Nigerian workers.

In 2019, the Government increased the minimum wage from 18,000 nairas to 30,000 nairas per month, which was applauded as a significant improvement, although many workers still earn less than this amount while some are still being owed the little they earn both in the public and private sectors.
The Government has also begun implementation of the recent 40 per cent increase in workers’ wages/salary and has also introduced regulations to improve workplace safety and health; although enforcement of these regulations remains a challenge.

According to the Minister of Interior, “There is dignity in labour, we have to have dedication and commitment to the work you do because it is vital to nation building”. He, therefore enjoys workers to imbibe the Culture of productivity, saying “The end of work is productivity. It is productivity that leads to satisfactory provision of goods and services and wealth creation. It is therefore the path to national and individual prosperity.”

In conclusion, while, I agree with the minister’s thoughts, we must remember that a happy worker equals a productive worker.
A worker who is not happy with the conditions, environment, or other conditions of service will not give his or her best, let alone go the extra mile for the organisation they represent.

And no matter how wonderful you think any staff is performing or has performed, believe it or not, there is always the sweetest part of their work culture, ethics, or norms that are reserved (consciously or unconsciously), that he or she will never bring to the table.

In a nutshell, a happy worker vs. workers’ day can truly be achieved and is worthy of an ideal celebration ONLY if and when the above issues are handled to a reasonable extent.

This piece, therefore, is challenging the Federal Government to walk their talks in all ramifications, especially, the incoming administration and to make the people of Nigeria derive maximum benefits for being citizens of the nation.

Here’s my humble self wishing all Nigerian workers Happy Workers’ Day!

Vivian Chikaodinaka DANIEL, Abuja (vivianchikadaniel@gmail.com) is a graduate of political science, journalism and business communication; a public relations professional, writer, a 200 per cent lover of human resources and management, a corporate compere and moderator, voice-over artist and the content producer at Neptune Prime.