Between Corporate Greed and Decent work in Africa

Last week, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in collaboration with ITUC-Africa organized a regional conference on Advancing Decent Work in Global Supply Chains in Africa in Abuja. The confrence theme was; “Stop Corporate Greed” The historic conference which had in attendance trade union leaders from target countries in Africa, namely Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, […]

Last week, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in collaboration with ITUC-Africa organized a regional conference on Advancing Decent Work in Global Supply Chains in Africa in Abuja. The confrence theme was; “Stop Corporate Greed” The historic conference which had in attendance trade union leaders from target countries in
Africa, namely Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal brought to the fore the critical issues of decent work in the continent. Remarkable was the presence of Sharan Burrow General Secretary, of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), a global voice of some 180 million workers in 162 countries and territories, with 333 national affiliates.
According to the host President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, Sharan Burrow’s presence assumed special importance because she was visiting Nigeria for the first time. The ITUC’s primary mission is the promotion and defence of workers’ rights and interests, through international cooperation between trade unions, global campaigning and advocacy within the major global institutions. According to the conference concept document, 50% of the world’s largest companies have a global footprint and in aggregate directly employ only 6% of the workforce on which they depend leaving a hidden workforce of 94% in their supply chains, a workforce that in the overwhelming majority are trapped in low wage, insecure and often unsafe jobs”.
Corporate research, country specific economic profiles and stories from workers and their unions of oppression and wages that are below minimum living wages are being documented to frame campaign targets, strategies and outcomes to be determined by each affiliate. The two day regional conference in Nigeria brought together union leaders with their campaign coordinators from the targeted countries to critically examine research relating to footprint of largest companies operating in Africa as well as    establish timeline for campaign activities including October 7 – World Day for Decent Work  and identify workplaces and workers for documenting decent work deficits.
The concept of decent work also underscores fundamental rights at work, the notable ones sanctioned by ILO Conventions No. 87 and 98 that guarantee workers’ right to freely organize and engage in collective bargaining. Other fundamental rights are freedom from discrimination, from forced or child labour. Significantly decent work holds that there must be adequate returns on efforts – that there must be adequate incomes from work with income floor like minimum and living wage as well as social floor like security of social protection and pension. Today, contrary to the principle of decent work, labour in most multinationals is still being treated like a commodity to be bought and dispensed with. Even at that: as a commodity, African labour is the most lowly prized compared to other factors of production like capital.  Capital market is more attractive because of higher rate of return therein compared to labour market which is miserably depressed. In spite of the commendable effort of trade unions to improve on the wages of workers through collective bargaining, workers are still far from the ideal of living wage. In fact there is the new working poor whose salaries and wages can hardly take them to work not to talk of taking them home. It was time the conference interrogated the corporate vision that makes huge profits at the expense of working men and women. All people must have the right to work, to good working conditions and to sufficient income for their basic economic, social and family needs, a right that should be enforced by providing mass and sustainable jobs as well as adequate living wages. In his opening remark, the NLC president announced the formal launching of “…the African component of a global campaign aimed at sending and enforcing a strong and resounding message to the greedy and rapacious corporate world and entities that “enough is enough” of the exploitation of workers, our people, environment and economies”.  According to him, following the collapse of the global market in 2007-08 as a result of “corporate greed” working men and women, pensioners and communities have suffered immense losses in terms of job insecurity and loss of wage incomes. He observed that living and working conditions are getting worse with “the poor getting poorer, whilst the rich richer at the expense and damnation of the poor”. Quoting from a recent Oxfam report released this January, he disclosed that “62 persons control more than half global wealth share”.
This inequity in distribution of wealth collectively produced by workers necessitates the need for organizing on the part of the global unions. He said precisely because “African trade unions have longed resolved to move away from lamentation and self-pity, “ NLC  welcomed the initiative of the ITUC to aggressively drive the  campaign aimed at halting and reserving corporate greed and their effects on workers, women, our communities and economies”. Speaking ITUC’s General Secretary Sharon Burrow disclosed that there are over 45 million workers subjected to modern slavery daily as a result of the greed of corporate bodies. Trade unions, she said must not watch workers treated inhumanly, adding that while productivity was increasing, wages and other benefits continue to decline. She lamented the lack of social protection for workers, especially in Africa, saying while laws on social security are available in many countries, including Nigeria, these laws were not well implemented. Sharon Burrow also decried the growing anti-union disposition of many employers in the private sector, who deny workers the right to unionise. She pointed out that the increasing rate of extremism in the world comes from social exclusion.