Of Workers' Productivity, Labour Unions and Abject Poverty in Nigeria
By Taiye Olaniyi
"The day is short, the labor long, the workers are idle, the reward is great, and the Master is urgent".
Mishna: Avot 2.15
The generality and romanticization of abject poverty in Nigeria courses through all the classes of Nigerians call for serious appraisal and serious-mindedness on the part of us all.
In content and context, Nigeria may be likened to that giant tree whose foliages skyrocket for others to see, admire and wish to partake from because of its greenery and succulence of its fruits. A towering giant embellished with all the nutrients of its minerals, plant and animal kingdoms thus making the Almighty God to be revered and venerated in everyway and manner.
In the geopolitical spectrum, economic, sociocultural and religious inclinations, the giant status of Nigeria goes down the drain like Goliath was felled down by mere catapult from the Biblical David.
Almost in everything and everywhere and in almost all the classes of the Nigerian society, it becomes difficult to know who truly is a worker. And if tagged a worker in both the public service and private sector, the productive endeavors seem very low than the productive coefficient required of a nation so blessed in all ramifications by God, the Creator of every living being.
Are we Nigerians more of workers with the creative, constructive potencies of God inherent in every individual's being or much more workers of iniquities dominated in heart and mind by what material gains should accrue to one selfishly most times without any consideration for selfless services to God and fellow man?.
Little wonder the recurrence of the "Nigerian Factor" a mystery circle like a decimal being uploaded and downloaded in cycles and every time scale in Nigeria.
In government, governance and amongst the governed, the "Nigerian Factor" stares us all in the face and thus make different personalities to be destroying good policies because of fiendish political interests at all levels in public institutions and public service. In the same token and amongst the legislators and by the executives in power everything gets scattered and shattered too .
The recent Labor crises and the attendant paralysis of even the globally revered "Essential Services" call for a review of conduct and sincerity of drivers of the working class, labor dealers and their ever unending demand for higher wages in a nation already demented by abject poverty arising from unproductive work forces here and there and everywhere. It is rarer than hen's teeth to vouch for sincere and honest workers working according to the dictates of their conscience and the light of God within them beyond the emptiness of mere earthly affluence derrivable from whatever they do or not do
Should Labor fight for higher and living wages in Nigeria?
Yes, but equally if the Labor Unions can elicit more interest in productivity of the working class for building a virile nation than most times their sectional interests including ethnic jingoism.
Yes, provided that Labors' agitation for higher wages and pride in the power to deaden the nation's essential services would later not reflect in the adage that: "Every human being is a born agitator but give him a pot of soup and he forgets his agitation." It is a truism that Labour union uses collective bargaining agreement to secure fair wages and benefits, as well as fair working hours, and better standards necessary for wage increases but should their unrealistic demands gravitate to further worsening the already dead economy and econometrics?
Should innocent Nigerians that do not or no longer belong to the so called workers in Labor Unions' taxonomy be made to suffer physically, emotionally or even die in hospitals and homes because of the strike of agony associated with the recent paralysis of essential services?
Generally, workers in the essential services of the federation are banned or prohibited from embarking on strike action because of the sensitive nature of their work.
I remember as if it were yesterday that aviation, medical services, posts and telecommunication and a number of other services were rated as very essential that the Labor Unions'strikes should never affect. But today, even so many of our lawmakers break our laws indiscriminately, they swallow our commonwealth and fart into our mouths for us to swallow without complaints.
If even one has the gut to complain, comes the aptness of George Jones on injustice in today's world the excerpt that goes thus: "There no justice in this world anymore
Sometimes I ask myself what am I living' for
If wrong can triumph over right
If we are licked before a fight
There's no justice in this world anymore...
As injustice and corruption galore obtain everywhere among some public servants especially the highly placed and the politically connected ones, so they are the linguafranca amongst the self-styled freedom fighters, the politicians, legislators and even the penchant for corruption in the nation's judiciary.
Who then will salvage the fate, fortunes and/ or the misfortune of us all Nigerians from the inimical trends of general unproductive nature in the lives of us all, corruption and insincerity to building a united and virile nation Nigeria?
As Nigerians now daily grope in sadness and innumerable miseries be workers in public or private sectors of the economy, be retired, tired or not tired, be mere pedestrians or jobless youths, let us check in the bowels of our hearts on whether or not we are guilty and deserve the helplessness and hopelessness now happening to us today.
According to Bob Marley and the Wailing Wailers:
Guiltiness (talkin' 'bout guiltiness)
Pressed on their conscience. Oh yeah.
And they live their lives (they live their lives)
On false pretence everyday -
each and everyday. Yeah.
These are the big fish
Who always try to eat down the small fish,
just the small fish.
I tell you what: they would do anything
To materialize their every wish. Oh yeah-eah-eah-eah.
Say: Woe to the downpressors:
They'll eat the bread of sorrow!
Woe to the downpressors:
They'll eat the bread of sad tomorrow!
Woe to the downpressors:
They'll eat the bread of sorrow!
Oh, yeah-eah! Oh, yeah-eah-eah-eah!
Are we guilty of all there is that is making us all to suffer in an era of "Renewed Hope" being placated here and there?
We all need to check our “conscience " which signifies, "The Eye of God in the heart of man," the "All -, Seeing -Eye" looking at you, me and us all.
As the work is much and workers are lazy, and the reward is plentiful if only we all are sincere in building a virile nation and not minding our different tribe and tongue, in true brotherhood we shall remain standing.
Whatever be the case, "When conscienceless power rules over powerless conscience, it is the former that first laughs but the latter laughs last and laughs best".
God bless Nigeria.
Taiye Olaniyi, a retired postman lives in Lagos