Civil society organisations and academics have urged Nigerian labour unions to play a more active role in advancing workers’ interests as global conflicts and economic disruptions continue to intensify.
The call was made in Lagos during a workshop organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Foundation in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies.
The workshop examined the impact of rising global instability on decent work and explored the role labour unions and civil society groups can play in addressing emerging challenges.
Resident Representative of FES in Nigeria, Mr. Leonard Ostad, said workers are increasingly bearing the brunt of geopolitical tensions, artificial intelligence-driven disruptions, climate change, and economic volatility, while organised labour remains insufficiently represented in critical policy debates.
“Something is going on in the world, and we don’t think organised labour is ready for it. They are not yet inside these debates,” Ostad said.
“We have a global shift in the economy, oil price shocks, trade wars — things that we believed were taken for granted are now under question — and we were asking ourselves: where are the trade unions, and where is the voice of labour in all these debates? We agreed the voice is not loud enough.”
Ostad described trade unions as vital democratic actors and urged them to engage more actively in conversations around economic reforms and social protection policies.
“Trade unions are also pro-democracy actors, and that is the theme and topic that we, as FES, are now promoting in about 100 countries around the world,” he added.
Director-General of the NIIA, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, who was represented by Prof. Femi Okubajo, said labour unions must strengthen advocacy efforts aimed at protecting jobs, wages, and workers from the effects of economic shocks.
“The labour union is supposed to protect jobs and wages, advocate government intervention in conflicts, promote peace and conflict resolution, and support displaced and vulnerable workers, while encouraging economic recovery and international solidarity.
“This is a major agenda for labour unions, and it is important that, for the first time, we are beginning to discuss this agenda, which has likely been ignored,” Okubajo said.
