6th May, 2019
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday said labour unions in the state must be proactive for greater productivity and efficiency.
Ambode spoke at a five-day training programme for labour leaders in the State Public Service, titled: “Effective Management Strategies in Labour Relations Practice.” The event was held in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
According to Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke, in order to sustain the existing atmosphere of industrial harmony in Lagos State and in order to transform such harmony into even greater productivity, labour unions must be proactive.
“This calls for all stakeholders to be dedicated to preparing for, intervening in, or controlling an expected occurrence or situation, especially a negative or difficult one. All stakeholders must continue to exhibit this value by identifying and bringing to the attention of the appropriate bodies, all matters that may degenerate or fester into unmanageable crisis.
“Another value is the value of committing to a perpetual regimen of training and re-training of skills. Many of these skills are soft skills. These are the skills that are not taught in formal schools but are essential to real life success and productivity. For a long time, it was considered impossible to learn soft skills. Now, the good news is that, like any skill, soft skills can be learned. And there is better news,” he said.
Ambode urged all stakeholders to commit to the promotion of the indispensable value of team work in labour and government relations, saying that the Public Service would become more effective and efficient if all stakeholders rededicate to the values of team work and collaboration.
“Stakeholders should also continue to cherish the value of encouraging the making and documentation of critical observations. Because the world is fast changing and issues are becoming more complex, the people in charge of important organizations must be able to observe and critically assess the impact and consequence of developments as they arise and, sometimes, even before they arise,” he said.
According to him, “We must also bear in mind that the delivery of value to citizens is the fundamental objective of any democratically elected government. In today’s world, however, the delivered value must be delivered per excellence. This is chiefly because citizens have become sophisticated and exposed to the standards of governance in other climes such that their expectations have been conditioned to demand and insist on compliance with global best practices at all levels of governance. Meeting these expectations is the central challenge for governments in the developing world.”
Acting Vice Chancellor, Eastern Palm University, Ogboko, Imo State, Prof. Dafe Otobo, a key speaker at the event, explained that training and retraining of workers would not only develop the skills-set of individuals but impacted on productivity.
According to him, “wherever and whenever you have a well trained bureaucrat and well organised workers, it doesn’t matter who is the Commissioner, Minister or President, because without much trained workers, nothing is get done. The most important thing about this training is competence and how to get better.”
He also enjoined trade unions in the state to sustain the existing atmosphere of industrial harmony in the State.