Empower Trade Unions: Create Relevance and Industrial Harmony Course

INTRODUCTION:

The Trade Union Movement the world over has recently more than at any other time in its history come under severe stress and threats as a result of internal and external pressures that have arisen out of the changing global socio-economic relations and weakening internal capacities and capabilities to respond adequately and creatively to the challenges. Collective bargaining has come under serious survival tests undermining the capacity of the Unions as platforms for articulating, negotiating and projecting the interests and expectations of workers the world over. Terms and Conditions of employment have all worsened with dire consequences for Industrial Relations and the Socio-economic framework.

The implications of this are increasingly lowering of labor standards the world over especially in under developed economies like ours. The abuse and violation of workplace and workers’ rights and privileges are becoming increasingly commonplace. Intimidation, harassment, breaching of the Rule of Law, impunity and flagrant resort to unconventional means to resolve employee relations issues have all taken center stage.

Ideas remain the basis for future successful engagement with other partners especially as the world becomes increasingly knowledge – driven. Without adequate knowledge base, the Union will begin to operate from a weak position leaving it at the mercy of its social partners. The probability of the existence of this scenario should worry every worker and trade union activist as that would sound a death knell on the movement in Nigeria. This should also worry the discerning and proactive Management that understands the consequences of a workplace without capable and motivated leaders and workers. It should worry the employer that wants to grow the bottom line and build a sustainable corporate organization.

This forms the basis for this course which is designed to address most of these capability deficits discussed earlier and to rebuild the Union by strengthening its structures through the empowering of the most critical resource of the Association and Organization – its human capital.

Course Objective:

At the nd of this course, participants will be able to;

Equip Trade Union leadership at all levels with new leadership strategies
Build increasing working-class consciousness in the leadership
Inculcate in the leadership at all levels new tools and skills for engaging the social partners
Expose the leadership of the union to some of the emerging challenges to trade unions globally & in Nigeria
Build in trade union leaders especially the new comers the principles of Union rights and limitations
Ensure that the Union is capable of providing benefits to its membership in the future.
Keep the Unions strategically evolving and relevant to the Management and the workplace.

Course Content:

Module 1: The History and Principles of trade unionism

Negotiation techniques in a changing society
Workers’ Rights and Employers’ prerogatives in the workplace
Democratic Dissent and trade Union Activism

Module 2: Rights abuses and violations in the workplace: Role of Union activists

Leadership issues and challenges within the trade unions in Nigeria
Tripartism in the context of global pressures and internal vicissitudes
Survival/relevance of trade unions in Nigeria – tools for engagement

Module 3: Creating a symbiosis between Management objectives and Trade Union Objectives

Obstacles to effective organizing in trade unions
Workplace harmony and responsive trade union actions
Management – Trade union partnership for organizational survival: Issues and challenges

Module 4: Industrial Harmony: issues and challenges