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ABSTRACT
The study was set out to establish the roles of trade unions (organised labour) in the democratic process and the
demand fordividends of democracy embodied in good governance in the country.In that end, was the conceptual
clarification of terms - democracy and trade unions. Hence, it was established that democracy being literarily defined
as the government of the people, for the people and by the people, was meant to exist for the benefit of the people
translated to what is popularly referred to in Nigeria as the dividends of democracy/good governance. It is the
incentive and mouthwatering carrot that pacifies the people for the loss of their sovereignty to the state as instituted
in the social contract entered into by both parties. Democracy in its philosophical and idealistic posture exists for the
maximum benefit of the majority of the people.However, as practiced in Nigeria, those accruable benefits are usually
elusive due to the nature and character of the operators of the system. Hence, the need for the proper positioning of
the organised labour as a catalyst for the actualization of the expected dividends of democracythrough enacting of
roles geared at political mobilisation of the workers/masses in the political process and formation of political party
(Labour party in the country) or its alignment with other ideologically fitted political party aimed at wrestling political
power from the bourgeois ruling class. The study noted that as noble as the objective might seem, its actualization
was beset with constraints of elitist nature of the leadership structure of the Labour organisations itself, disunity
among the labour organisations and paucity of fund for effective political mobilisation and education. Hence,
Research Article
TRADE UNIONS AND THE DEMAND FOR DEMOCRATIC DIVIDENDS IN
NIGERIA
Submission Date:
July 11, 2022,
Accepted Date:
July 18, 2022,
Published Date:
July 24, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijmef/Volume02Issue07-01
Ofili Frederick Iwendi
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa
State, Nigeria
Bieh, N. Nwoke
PhD, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Federal University Otuoke,
Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ijmef
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
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suggestions for redress and proper positioning of the organised labour aimed at eliciting good governance/dividends
of democracy for the citizenry were proffered.
KEYWORDS
Trade Union/organised labour, democratic dividends.
INTRODUCTION
Democracy has been seen as a system of government
whereby the people either directly or through their
representatives participate in the governance of their
affairs. It is a system of governance whereby the
people of a given nation/country participate in
policy/decision
formulation
and
implementation/execution in the country. Democracy
therefore is a system of governance that ensures that
the people are carried along in the process of
governance. It is a governance system that foresees
that the interests of the greater number of people
referred to as the masses are catered for and
protected. Democracy as a system of government
ensures that the views and interest of the people are
well represented and cared for. No wonder it has been
popularly referred to or defined as the government of
the people, for the people and by the people. As the
government of the people, it implies that the source of
authority of the government is derived from the
people. That inputs ownership of the government on
the people. On the other hand, democracy as the
government for the people implies thatthe
government is meant for the people. In other words,
the people are the direct beneficiary of the
government. This equally implies that the benefits or
the dividends derivable for the act of governance is
accruable to the people. It also implies that the
government is supposedly an instrument or source of
benefit to the people and so governance benefits are
expected and sodemands placed on the operators of
the system. More so, democracy as the government by
the people signifies ownership and control of the
system of governance by the people. It indicates an
authority over the system by the people. It reveals the
strength, power, authority and control which is being
possessed and welded by the people over the system.
The summation of the above attributes of democracy
as highlighted reveals that it is a system of governance
that is a product of the people, controlled by the
people and for the benefit or good governance of the
people.
Going by the above submission, democracy therefore
confers on the people the power of control of the
system. It bestows on the people the power to
determine the governance process. It confers on the
people the power to determine who should govern
them. In this context, power and authority reside with
the people through their representatives as in the case
of representative democracy as applicable and
practiced in Nigeria. Governance is by the people and
for the people. Democracy as a form of government
projects and protects the interests and aspirations of
the people of the country.
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Through representations, the generality of the people
usually referred to as the masses make their inputs and
demands on the system or government. They equally
limit and control the power and authority of those
elected to represent them in the government through
an act of recall thereby ensuring that the abuse of
power by the representatives are curtailed and/or
prevented. The essence of this is to ensure good
governance
where
by
the
dividends
of
democracy/governance is guaranteed to the highest
number of people in the country.
To ensure that the people derive the benefits accruing
from governance which is the essence of government
as enshrined in the social contract entered into where
by the people relinquish their sovereignty to the
Government for governance benefit (Haralambos &
Mead, 1980), social groups in varied forms and
colourations tend to emerge with the intent of
projecting and protecting these interests of the
people. One of such interest groups is the organized
trade union.
Trade unions in representative democracy exists not
just to project and protect the interests of the workers
in the industry or organisations but function to ensure
that the dividends of governance are accruable to the
masses. They exist and function to the extent to which
the masses of the nationplace demand and
expectations on them.They transcend to the status of
a pressure group whose mandate as prescribed by the
people is the articulation of the masses expected
demands and benefits (good governance) from the
government. As pressure group, organized trade
unions act as watch dog to the government thereby
ensuring that the government of the day abide by the
stated constitution of the country. It sees to the
effective implementation of the governmental
agendas as stated. It sees that the social contract
entered into by the people with their government are
upheld and maintained. As pressure group whose aim
is geared at restoring the dividends of good
governance to the people, it mobilises and galvanizes
the people in the formation and selection process of
their representatives during the electioneering
process. It does and achieves these through
information articulation and dissemination and more
so, advocacy.
Organized trade unions consequently assume and
become the means and the vanguard of the people for
the articulation, projection and demand of their
interests and benefits from the government.
These are premised on the believe that the people are
unorganized and disadvantaged in the power game
between them and the government hence they look up
to the organized bodies like the trade unions for the
balance of the power gamewhere by their interests
and the dividends of governance can be derived and
appropriated for the benefit of them all.
Knowing then the enormous roles of trade unions in
the democratic process and governance in terms of the
articulation, galvanizing and demand for the dividends
of democracy/governance for the people, to what
extent can the trade unions in the country (Nigeria) be
said to have lived upto this mandate? Trade unions
being not just an economic interest group for the
agitation and protection of the economic interests of
the workers which they are originally formed to
protect,
but
also
by
political
extension
a
political/economic pressure group whose mission is
the projection and protection of the interests of the
masses from the few but powerful political elites
(Ogunbameru, 2005), the question then is, can the
trade unions as seen in the Nigerian society be said to
live up to this mandate and expectation? Can the trade
unions in the country be seen as pressure group that
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agitates and projects the interests of the people in
terms of the demand of the dividends of democracy
and good governance for the people? These and some
others are begging questions and so constitute the
central focus of this study.
Conceptual clarification
Trade union:As it is usually inferred, trade union is a
continuous association of workers who have come
together with the sole purpose of improving on their
working condition (Girigiri, 1999; Fashoyin, 2002).
According toOtobo (2000, 66), trade union has been
conceptualised to mean “any combination of
workers,whether temporary or permanent, the
purpose of which is to regulate the terms and
combinations of employment of workers whether the
combination in question; would or would not apart
from this action, be an unlawful combination by reason
of any of its purposes being in restraint of trade and
whether its purpose do not include the provision of
benefits for its members”. It is observable from the
above definitions that trade union is consists of three
vital elements of which one is; the continuity of
organisation, the other is that it has to do with
employment and the third has to do with the issue of
goal or purpose of the organisation.
However, the Marxists in their conceptualization see
trade union as an association of marginalized and
exploited workers/wage earners whose surplus values
are expropriated from them and of whose existential
working conditions and social relations of production
will compel them into class consciousness and to class
struggle for the repudiation and the eventual
dethronement of the existing order (Nwachukwu,
2011).
Irrespective of the perspective or definition adopted,
trade union invariably has to do with the collectivity of
workers who are gainfully employed in an organisation
be it big or small whose manifest interest is the
projection and protection of their economic interests
and general working life. For there to be trade union,
there must first be a collection of individuals. More so,
these individuals must agree to collectivise their
interest/s. Furthermore, these workers that have
agreed to come together must be in an employment.
In other word, they must be wage earners implying
that they must be employees as against being
employers. Essentially too, there must be a reason,
goal/s or purpose for their coming together. They must
have a stated goal which in this context is the
protection and agitation for the improvement and
betterment of their wages and their general working
conditions. Any other thing or agitation outside this
condition is deemed not to be within the mandate of
the union.
However as will be seen in due course, certain
socio/political conditions do sometimes instigate the
organised trade unions to delve supposedly outside
their stated mandates as is observable in Nigeria where
organised trade unions dabble into political issues that
tend to have direct and/or indirect implications on the
working conditions/lives of the workers. Instances
abound in the country where the Nigeria labour
congress had to interfere in the government policy
decisions that seemed to have negative effect on the
working lives of the workers as evident in the President
Olusegun Obasanjo versus Comrade Adam Oshiomole
petroleum subsidy removal and the increase in the
pump price of petrol saga.Here the organised labour
under the leadership of comrade Oshiomole went
outside the economic and working condition
improvement/protection mandate to interrogating
and resisting the implementation of government policy
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decision on the justification of its over bearing harsh
economic implications on the workers. Just of recent
there was a call on the workers in Rivers State, Nigeria
by the leadership of the Nigerian labour congress to
get actively involved in the electioneering process in
the country so as to be in the vintage point to
determine who becomes the governor of the State and
the president of the federation. These are indications
of the role of trade unions in politics and/or
governance in the country. This however, will be
further discussed in subsequent heading but before
then, let us have an understanding of the origination
and historical development of trade union/ism in the
country.
Origin and historical development of Trade unions in
Nigeria:The origin of trade union in the country can be
traced to the British era even though some scholars are
of the view that the British colonial government were
never in support of the formation and existence of
trade unions in her colonies of which Nigeria was one.
The fact however is that the activities of what could be
termed of trade unionism started in the country during
the colonial period. Record has it that the first trade
union to emerge in the British colonial Nigeria was the
Nigeria civil service union. This union was formed on
Monday 19th August 1912 (Otobo, 2000, Egboh; 1968).
The union because of its mode of formation and
activism was assumed and subsequently regarded in
the trade union circle as not being a trade union but an
association of like minds in the civil service that just
came together to uphold the tenets of the Service
without the intent of projecting and likewise
protecting/agitating
for
the
economic
and
socio/political benefit of its members. The union was
never seen as being dynamic and vibrant and so could
not fall within the confines of a trade union. It was
therefore an elitist association.
It was the elitist posture of the Nigeria Civil Service
Union where by it was unable to protect the workers
interests even in the face of grave marginalization and
exploitation by the then British administration that led
to the formation of the Nigeria railway union and the
Nigeria union of Teachers in 1931. These unions were
noted for their vibrant and dynamic posture in the
pursuit and demand for improve conditions of work for
their members and so were seen as the fore runners in
trade union activism in the country.
In-spite of the vibrant nature of these trade unions, the
origin and emergence of modern trade unionism in the
country could be traced to the enactment of the trade
union ordinance act and the General defense
regulation of 1938 and 1942 respectively (Ananaba,
1970). These acts gave legal recognition to the
establishment of trade unions in the country and so
could be tagged as the instigator and stimulant to
modern trade unionism in the country.
It is important to recognize the role of the Nationalists
in their struggle and agitation for the pol-economic and
socio-cultural emancipation of the country under the
British administration of the citizenry of the country
(Ugbudian 2017). Their roles in no small measure acted
as a buffer to the activities of the trade union
movements in Nigeria. Hence, it will not be out of
context to posit that the activities of the Nationalists in
somewhat measure over-lapped with the early history
of trade unionism in the country.
It should however be noted that the historical
evolution/development
of
the
central
labour
organisation in the country was replete with
controversies arising from international affiliation
which was dictated by the varied ideological
dispositions of the World federated trade unions and
that of personality clash by the contending trade
unionists of the time.These controversies saw the
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emergence of varied central labour organisations such
as the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUCN) and the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Others include the
Trade Union Congress (TUC), United Labour Congress
of Nigeria (ULCN) among others. It was however in
1970 that a united and generally accepted central
labour organisation was imposed and foisted on the
unionists by the then military head of state – General
Olusegun Obasanjo. This move/imposition heralded
the death of the controversies surrounding the
possible existence of a united central labour
organisation in the country. It was this move that
however announced the emergence and then
existence of a one and supposedly united central
labour organisation in the country in the name of the
Nigeria labour congress (Ofili, 2021).
The unity and oneness of the one labour organisation
or a central and united labour organisation in the
country was later punctuated with the promulgation of
the Trade Union Amendment Act of 2005 which tended
to balkanize trade unions by its recognition of more
than one central labour organisation in the country and
further by its stipulations of conditions that tended to
stifle the dynamism and vibrancy of trade unions in the
country. The Act has as condition that membership of
an individual/employee into any trade union must be by
volition and not by compulsion as was the initial
condition. More so, no employee due to his/her failure
to join a trade union should be victimized and also, for
a trade union to declare and embark on an industrial
action most especially strike, it must obtain a simple
majority vote of all the registered members of that
trade union (Ofili, 2019).
The enactment of the Act resulted in the birth,
formation and existence of (for now) two central
labour organisations in the country. These are the
Nigeria labour congress (NLC) and the Trade Union
Congress (TUC). This has further implication in that
labour by this Act is no longer one and so divided and
not united in interest and aspiration. This division has
the tendency of weakening the ability of the trade
unions to balance their power base in the power game
between them and the government or their
employer/s (Abu, 2009).
Arising from the imbalance in the power game
equation, the negotiation power/ability of the trade
unions in relation to the government/employer/s tends
to be rendered redundant and ineffectual and so
leaves the workers helpless and at the mercy of their
employer/s which most often times tilt towards
exploitation and marginalization(Olufolajimi, 2006).
The other implication of the Act is the frustrating and
limiting of the capability of trade unions to embark on
strike arising from the condition that requires its
canvasing and mustering of simple majority vote in
favour of a strike action before it could be embarked
upon. This condition may appear reasonable and
justiciable but in reality, it limits trade unions strike
potential in that it is most difficult to get all the
registered members of a union to partake in a vote and
then obtain a simple majority from that vote. Why
insist on a simple majority of all the registered
members rather than on simple majority of members
present in the voting meeting or congress which is
easier and more realistic? The rationale behind this
clause however is to frustrate and limit the power of
trade unions in declaring and executing strike action in
the country.This off-course has further implication on
trade unions in particular and the country at large.
Democracy: The concept democracy has been defined
in simple term as the government of the people for the
people and by the people. It is a form of government
where the people have a say in the conduct and
running of the affairs of the government. Democracy is
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a form of government in which power belongs to the
people but confined on few elected individuals who act
and represent the general interest of the electorates
(Merriam Dictionary).
It is a system of government where by the entire
populace of the nation through their elected
representatives make laws and take actions that entail
peace,
security,
socio-economic
and
political
development of the country. It is a government system
that propagates, ensures and promotes good
governance in the country. Good governance in that
there are provisions for checks and balances thereby
ensuring that the contractual obligations between the
people and the State as an entity are upheld and
maintained. It is this good governance posture arising
from the overarching binding social contractual
obligation by both parties that endears the governance
system to the people.
This posture is however questionable as some scholars
as Robert Michel in his Iron law of oligarchy
(Haralambos & Mead, 1980), are of the opinion that
democracy is nothing other than an oligarchic system
whereby
few
individuals
in
the
name
of
representativeness overarchingly lord it over the
majority of the masses (Ogunbameru, 2005). Here it is
presumed that the oligarchical structure of the
democratic governance clothed in democracy
obliterates its assumed democratic principles. Rather
than democracy projecting and protecting the general
interest of the masses, it rather projects and protects
the premeditated and self-centered interests and
aspirations of the few ruling eliteswho by virtue of
their possession of the state coercive apparatus
manipulate and subdue the deluded masses.
Democracy rather than being benevolent and
beneficial to the people becomes despotic and
depriving as is supposedly witnessed in Nigeria where
the masses live at the discretion and mercy of the
ruling political elites in terms of resource allocation and
distribution.Rather than the democracy which is
supposedly the hallmark of benevolence being what it
is meant to be, has become dysfunctional and
unbeneficial. As in the Nigerian context, it has resulted
in the inglorious demand/call for the dismounting of
the edifice of democracy and the erection of the
obnoxious, incongruous and the one-time people
rejected military regime which is now being perceived
as being more people friendly and oriented arising
from itsone-time governance role manifested in people
oriented infrastructural projects and development.The
one-time infamous has suddenly become the apple of
the people’s eye while the supposedly famous and
grandiose system (democracy) is the now vilified and
scorned object by the masses. What a pathetic
situation.
The near rejection of the democratic system of
governance in the country is most obvious when
juxtaposed in its assumed principles and dividends. In
Nigeria, there is this much talked about the ‘dividends
of democracy’. This indicates a clamour and
expectation of the fundamentals of democracy such as
freedom of speech and of association, freedom to life
and other necessities of life, inclusiveness and equality,
voting rights, minority rights, protection of life and
properties among other rights (Wikipedia). These
supposedly are the assumed benefits or dividends of
democracy.
It is these dividends that endear it as a
governance/administrative system to the people.The
believe that the system will provide ample
opportunities to the people where every man will be
privileged to actualize his goals and aspirations
unhindered by the system.The system provides good
governance in terms of provision of public
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infrastructure and amenities to the people. The system
provides an ample opportunity to the people to live a
quality life. These and many others are supposedly the
embedded attributes and attractive of democracy.
Though democracy is associated with lots of dividends
and benefits to the citizenry of the country, however
as applicable in the country, these benefits supposedly
appear to be imagined than witnessed. Instances
abound in the country where the trust of the people
reposed on the custodians of their wills expressed in
the election of their representatives, rather than
attract and bestow on the people these democratic
dividends/good governance, go on to exploit,
marginalize and pauperise them wantonly through
treasury looting, abuse of the rule of law and physical
brutalization and assault as evidenced in the recent
alleged eighty-billion-naira fraud by the Attorney
General of the Federation among others.
Rather than the people being beneficiaries of the
practice of democracy in the country, the reverse is
usually the case as the people are disenfranchised in
the derivatives of the democratic process. Rather than
being the benefactors and beneficiaries, the people are
turned into victims and captives of democracy. Are
these the essence of democracy? Are these the reasons
for the clamour for democratic government in the
country? Why has democratic governance as it is
practiced in the country not been people friendly and
so not dividend yielding? Why has the practice of
democracy as a system of governance in the country
seen as a curse rather than a blessing to the masses?
What are those conditions that have made democratic
practice in the country so draconic and people
unfriendly? Why is the practice of democracy in the
country so heinous, blood sucking and regrettable?
An attempt at addressing the above questions brings
to fore an understanding of the nature, character and
perception of the democrats or those saddled with the
responsibility of projecting and upholding the
democratic principles and policies in the country. What
is their perception of those they are made to lead? The
political elites in the country rather than see
themselves as those elected or selected to lead, see
and treat the masses as those that have been
conquered by them. They see the led as conquered
people whose booty must be looted and squandered.
It is this perception by the ruling autocrats that parade
themselves as democrats that explains the aggressive,
wanton and massive pilfering of the general goods and
resources of the nation.According to ThisDay online
paper of April 2, 2018, the paper has it that the federal
government of Nigeria releases more names of alleged
treasury looters (Ogunmade & Shittu, 2018). The paper
has it that the Minister of Information and Culture,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed released the list of names of
those that supposedly or allegedly looted the treasury
of the nation and in that list were the names of the PDP
chieftains who he claimed are facing charges of
corruption and financial crimes in the court
(Ogunmade & Shittu, 2018). The paper went further to
publish the details of the loots in cash recovered as
follows;
N78,325,354,631.82,
$185,119,584.61,
£3,508,355.46 and €11, 250 between May 29, 2015,
and May 25, 2016. Other cash and assets recovered
under interim forfeiture under the same period
include;
N126,563,481,095.43,
$9,090,243,920.15,
£2,484,447.55 and €303,399.17 (Ogunmade &
Shittu, 2018).
Commenting further on the arbitrary looters list which
mainly contained the names of PDP members, the
paper went further to insist that the government in
power which is the APC should go ahead and publish
the comprehensive list of the nation’s treasury looters
in line with the judgment of Justice Hadiza Shagari so
as to prove its sincerity in its anti-corruption war.The
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foregoing is an indication of the wanton looting of the
nation’s treasury by the so termed democratic
governments in the country. Governments that were
to uphold and promote the principles of democracy
which chiefly are accountability and transparency, has
descended to the lowly posture of ‘impunitious’
treasury looting. This (Ogunmade & Shittu, 2018)
referred to as a breach of invaluable trust deposited on
them by the Nigerian people. Why the massive treasury
looting? This is explainable by the myopic perception of
the ruling political elites on the masses as conquered
people whose enormous resources must be brutally
exploited as booty for their voracious aggrandisement.
Conjugating on why the political office holders and by
implication democracy flourishes in treasury looting in
the country, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja was of
the view that Nigerians are not ready to demand for
positive change in that political office holders no
longer see evil and crime in their actions (Jannamike;
2021). He then lamented that the magnitude of decay
and offensive misuse and misappropriation of public
fund and resources in the countryare enormous,
alarming and condemnable (Jannamike; 2021). This
misuse of public fund can be attested to by the lavish
and extravagant lifestyle and attitude of the political
office holders in self aggrandisement. In Nigeria, the
political office holders falsely presenting themselves as
democrats leave lavishly at the expense of the
commonwealth of the nation. They flout wealth with
arrogance and impunity. This attitude is most
explainable by the very reason of their assumption of
the status of a conqueror who has the singular audacity
of booty appropriation and expropriation of the
conquered.
More so, democratic governance in the country has
not been able to leave up to its bidding in terms of
good governance (provision of the dividends of
democracy) in that its operators in the country see it as
means of employment and not as service to the
people. Politics which is the vehicle for political office
ascendance as is observable in the country is the surest
and fastest avenue for wealth acquisition which no
lucrative business enterprise can guarantee.So, to
enable them pilfer on the commonwealth of the
nation, the political strategy of divide and rule is usually
employed. This strategy manipulates the unity
capability of the masses thereby reinforcing their
susceptibility and gullibility to the whims and caprices
of the ruling political class that masquerades as
operators of democracy. To perpetuate their rule and
grip on the masses, primordial and parochial
sentiments of ethnicity, religion and political party
affiliations are usually whipped up thereby keeping the
masses ever divided (Ofili & Omoro, 2017). That
explains the ethno-political/religious conflicts in the
country where by the down trodden Hausa/Fulani
people are instigated against their fellow down
trodden Ibo and Yoruba people. Now and then, the
incidences of religious conflict (Christian/Muslims
conflicts in Kaduna, Kano etc.) are beefed up.This is
done in furtherance of their grip on the nation’s
resources since to them politics and the occupation of
political position/office is their main source of
occupation as attested by one time Minister that what
drove
him
into
politics
was
nothing
but
unemployment. If the motivation to active politics is
unemployment, then public wealth grabbing as against
service becomes the end-product.Until the masses and
the down-trodden in the country get united and have
aprogressive afront on the pervasive and voracious
ruling class, the much cherished and clamouredgood
governance/dividends of democracy will ever remain
elusive.
If the panacea for the emancipation of the masses
from the evil grip of the political elites’ restsonthe
Volume 02 Issue 07-2022
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masses’ unity, what then is that galvanizing/uniting
force?Here the role of the organised trade unions and
the civil rights organisations in the country become
imperative. How can these bodies galvanise the
unorganized masses in order for them to derive the
dividends accruing from the practice of democracy in
the country? In the consideration of this, emphasis will
be on the role of trade unions in the country.
Trade unions and good governance/dividends of
democracy in Nigeria: It is obvious as highlighted above
that the masses are yet to maximally appropriate the
dividends
accruing
from
the
democratic
experiment/practice in the country arising from their
inability to effectively organise themselves into
formidable force that will coerce the ruling political
class/elites into conformity. The ruling class
(politicians) in the country over the years have
manipulated the masses into disunity through religion
and ethnicity to their advantage of treasury looting and
self aggrandisement. Organised trade unions are
hence being looked upon for redress. What then is the
role of trade unions in the democratic process and how
can this role bring about good governance/dividends
of democracy for the people?
One way by which the organised labour in the country
can ensure good governance in the country is by
effective mobilization and sensitization of the
populace on the workings of government. It is the role
of the organised labour in the country to mobilize the
populace into political participation in order to
influence political policy/decisions affecting their
wellbeing.
More so, the organised labour in addition to effective
mobilisation and education of the masses on the
principles and workings of democracy in order to
ensure good governance in the country can and do
engage/participate physically in the democratic
process by the formation of workers oriented political
party or in the alternative, engaging in effective
collaboration with an already existing workers
oriented political party. The motive behind this move
(party formation or collaboration) is essentially to
stimulate the workers which invariably constitute the
masses, to active participation in the governance
system there by propagating, projecting and
protecting the interest of the populace in the
hierarchical nature of the democratic structure which
has become humongously elitistfettered on the
privitisation of public purse as evidenced in the wanton
public fund puffery and looting.It is this rationalization
that became the driving force for the formation of the
labour Party in Nigeria and the recent adoption of the
party as its official partyby the organised central labour
bodies (Nigeria labour Congress and the Trade Union
Congress) for the year 2023general elections in the
country. That equally accounts for the call for all
workers and the down trodden in the country to join
force with the Labour Party to wrestle power from the
avariciouspolitical elites in the on-going democratic
electioneering process. This is geared at securing the
government by the people and for the people. In other
word, good governance for the people.
The role of trade unions in the demand for the
dividends of democracy and good governance in the
country can be seen also in their actives and posture as
pressure group to the government. By constitutional
dictates, trade unions exist to protect and propagate
the interests as reflecting on the general welfare of the
working people,however, it sometimes becomes the
mouth piece of the masses most especially where the
ruling party/government is seen to have become
despotic. At this point, the organised labour assumes
the position of a pressure group in order to arm-twist
the government into being benevolent. This was
evident in the case of themassresistance of the
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IF
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Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
draconic policy of the incessant petroleum subsidy
removal by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo by
the organised labour headed by the then President
Adams Oshiomhole. That resistance by the workers
(organised labour/NLC) in the early 20s led to the
residing of that draconic policy by the then
government. This was an exemplified role by the
organised labour that instigated and cajoled the
unwilling government into position change for good
governance in the country. No wonder the erudite
scholar Karl Marx called on the workers to arise (Levin;
1980). This action/role if sustained can be a veritable
trigger for actualization of the dividends of democracy
and the overall good governance in the country.
Limitations to trade unions demand for good
governance: It has been established that trade unions
(organised labour) can enact positive roles for good
governance in the country. While this is undisputable,
it is also cardinal to note that their functional capacity
is somewhat constraint by certain exigencies as
espoused below.
One of the constraining factors to the organised
labours’
ability
to
canvas
for
good
governance/dividends of democracy for the workers
and by extension the general masses borders on the
issue of the oligarchical structure of the trade unions
leadership. Robert Michel in his criticism of
bureaucratic organisation observed that they are not
just elitist but oligarchic in nature. This oligarchic
nature tends to obliterate its supposedly democratic
principles and philosophy (Haralambos & Mead, 1980).
Trade unions in the country tend to find themselves in
this tragedy in that they by their organizational
structure is oligarchic and elitist themselves and so fails
to uphold the democratic principles and philosophy
which they expect the supposedly democratic
government in the country to exhibit and practice. Due
to the fact that they are not democratic in their
practice, they therefore lack the moral strength to
impress that and /or demand so on the political office
holders in the country.
Secondly, the erudite scholar Karl Marx in his quest for
the emancipation of the working class and by
extension the downtrodden in the society called on the
workers to unite and arise (Ritzer, 2014). Unity here
appears to be the magic wand for effective agitation
and demandand this appears to be a scarce commodity
in the trade unions circle in the country. The so-called
organised labour unions in the country are so
unorganized to ever be qualified to be referred to as
organised labour unions. This lack of unity has
manifested in the splitting of the then one central
labour organisation known as the Nigeria Labour
organisation (NLC) into two central labour bodies; the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union
Congress (TUC) (Ofili, 2019). Both central trade unions
seem to be in a rat race competition of who will out-
with the other. The incidence of the demand for the
increase in minimum wage where both contending
unions failed to strike an agreement on the demand
and operational operandi leading to the undue
prolongment of its implementation attests to that. This
approach to the demand for good governance
portraysfailure and doom for the working class and the
entire society that have great expectation from them.
This labour disunity and fragmentation hampers their
demand capabilities for the dividends of democracy
and good governance in the country.
Essentially too, the paucity of fund tends to militate
against the ability of the organised unions to agitate
and
mobilise
the
people
for
effective
governance/dividends of democracy in the country.
Trade unions derive their fund/finance from their
members/workers check-up dues. Arising from
Volume 02 Issue 07-2022
12
International Journal Of Management And Economics Fundamental
(ISSN
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2771-2257)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
07
Pages:
0
1-14
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.587
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
factories downsizing and labour rationalizations
occasioned by the dwindling national economy, the
financial buoyancy of the organised trade unions
becomes a victim (Ofili, 2021). Where the organised
trade unions are unable to muster enough finance,
their ability to mobilise, educate and act as pressure
group in the demand for good governance becomes
difficult and frustrating.
Summary/suggestions:Democracy was seen as a
system of government whereby the people either
directly or through their representatives participate in
the governance of their affairs. It is a system of
governance whereby the people of a given
nation/country
participate
in
policy/decision
formulation and implementation/execution in the
country. Hence democracy was seen to be the
government of the people, by the people and for the
people as is popularly defined. This implies that the
government source of authority and legitimacy
emanates and resides with the people and so entitles
them with some form of benefits defined in terms of
good governance and/or dividends of democracy. The
dividends of democracy become the incentives and
mouthwatering carrot that pacifies the people for the
loss of their sovereignty to the state as instituted in the
social contract entered into by both parties (Shanka
Rao, 2008).
Ironically, the operators/managers of democracy as a
result of their elitist and oligarchical nature obliterates
the democratic principles and tenets which is
encapsulated in good governance and dividends of
democracy. Rather than promote and guaranty good
governance/dividends of democracy, they emasculate
the people manifesting in treasury looting etc. arising
from their perceived entitlement mentality and
conqueror
attitude
etc.These
attitudes
strangulate/hinder good governance.
In this context it was noted that in the effort to attract
good government/dividend of democracy bearing in
mind the negations and antithesis of governance,
varied interest groups with sole objective of wrestling
governance benefits emerge and converge. Such
groups include the organised labour unions. To
accentuate their objective which is the demand for the
dividends of democracy/good governance for its
members and the generality of the populace of the
nation, masses mobilisation and education are carried
out. In addition to this, they practically engage in active
politics by the formation or affiliation to a political
party such as the Labour party in Nigeria.
It was however noted that the efforts by the organised
labour to ensure that good governance and the
dividends of democracy are guaranteed in the country
are constrained by factors as labour fragmentation and
disunity, the elitist and oligarchical structure of the
labour organisation and paucity of fund for effective
masses mobilisation and education.
Consequent on the above, the study suggests that for
the organised labour (Trade unions) to effectively
enact the desired role in the democratic process and
the
demand
fordemocratic
dividends/good
governance in the country, it must forge a common
and united front that will see to its being advantaged
in the power game with the political ruling class.
Essentially too,the organised labour should purge itself
of its elitist and undemocratic posture which act as a
constraint to its efforts and wheel of progress.
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