Industrial Relations refers to all types of relations between employers and workers, be they at the national, regional, or company level; and to all dealings with social and economic issues, such as wage setting, working time and working conditions.
Industrial harmony on the other hand refers to a friendly and cooperative agreement on working relationships between employers and employees for their mutual benefit.
Industrial relations can sometimes be harmonious or sometimes lead to industrial actions whereby workers through organised labour unions square up and have a showdown with the government by calling for a strike thereby leading to a total shutdown of the economy.
In Edo State, industrial relations between the government and the workers have been harmonious in a way that local industrial actions have been absent since the coming in of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Little wonder Governor Obaseki at the commissioning of the Adams Oshiomhole Labour House on April 29th, 2024, said that for the past seven and a half years, the State has not witnessed any local industrial action.
According to Obaseki “I want to thank the Labour movement in Edo State because, for the last seven and half years, you have joined us to institute very deep institutional reforms in the State.
“You have been hearing them reel out achievements as a government but these achievements wouldn’t have been possible if we had a very hostile labour relationship.
“It is the cooperation and support which we enjoyed from Labour that have made it possible for us to achieve all that we have achieved, and also encourage us to do more.”
One will ask what Obaseki has done differently from other governors in the country that have made Edo State enjoy industrial harmony in the past seven and a half years without having rancour with Labour Unions that could have led to industrial actions.
Obaseki’s commitment to rebranding and digitising the public service in Edo State is one major stride that has kept industrial harmony in the state. Today, every worker both public and civil servants in Edo State has a healthy environment to work in due to the infrastructural development stride of the Governor that has seen the State Secretariat and other public buildings rebranded and fully digitalised for effective service delivery.
It is no longer news that Edo State is the only state in Nigeria that has gone completely paperless by digitising its operations from one Ministry, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to the other. These initiatives by Obaseki have made government and workers’ activities seamless, eradicating time wasting, improving capacity service delivery, and accurate data storage.
Edo State Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, at the commissioning of the Labour House highlighted the Governor’s commitment to the welfare of Edo workers, noting some of his achievements including fully digitising the State’s civil service, prompt payment of salaries, the highest minimum wage in Nigeria, payment of 13th-month salary, life insurance for Edo workers, health insurance for workers, automatic employment for first-class citizens of Edo State, regular promotion for Edo workers, among others.
Edo State under the leadership of Governor Obaseki is the only State in Nigeria that increased the minimum wage to forty thousand naira for Edo workers from the thirty thousand naira minimum wage that is operational in the country. Also, Edo State is one of the few states that pays workers’ salaries and pensioners on or before the 25th of every month and the state does not owe workers salary, not even one month.
While workers all over the country are eagerly and anxiously waiting for the Federal Government and Labour Unions to come up with a new minimum wage, owing to the obvious fact that the current minimum wage is no longer enough for workers due to high inflation and skyrocketing food prices following the devastating effects of fuel subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023, Governor Obaseki once again took the lead and increased the minimum wage of Edo workers from forty thousand naira to seventy thousand naira effective May 1, 2024.
At the commissioning of the Labour House, Obaseki said, “I am one of those governors who believe that we cannot run away from the fact that we have to adjust the minimum wage of workers in Nigeria. It would have been nice for there to be a central, cohesive and common approach, we would have expected that by now there will be a direction on what minimum wage should be for workers in Nigeria. We don’t know when that will happen and if it happens fine, if it doesn’t happen, as a state, we will still have to do what we need to do.”
The Governor stated that should the Federal Government announce a new minimum wage of more than N70,000, he would further adjust Edo workers’ minimum wage upward, stressing that he wants Edo workers to earn a living wage.
“For us in Edo State, we have decided to move the minimum wage from N40,000 to N70,000 effective from 1st of May 2024. If the Federal Government proposes something higher, we will make the necessary adjustments,” he maintained.
Obaseki building a world-class Labour House for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that has been adjudged as the best Labour House in Nigeria by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero and TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, is another testament of the industrial harmony in Edo State. Obaseki also went a step further to name the Labour House after former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who is also a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). This move by Obaseki has proven that he is a labour friendly Governor who threw away political differences to do what is right and for labour harmony in Edo State. It is in light of this that the TUC President, Festus Osifo who incidentally is from Edo State described Obaseki as a “Comrade Governor” when he was making his speech during the commissioning of the Labour House.
Today, all Public and Civil Service workers in Edo State enjoy 24hrs electricity at work through the Ossiomo power generating plant located at Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, as well as free internet services for effective work delivery in a conducive environment fully revolutionised with modern facilities built to a world-class standard.
Similarly, All Edo workers and pensioners have been enrolled in the Edo State Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS), for free access to quality and efficient healthcare services.
To cushion the effect of subsidy removal, Governor Obaseki on June 7th, 2023 announced three days a week working days for civil servants in the state. He also made available free transportation with the Edo comrade buses to transport residents within Benin City and other parts of the State. The free bus service is still on to date and may span through the end of this year.
Recently Governor Obaseki flagged off a one billion naira food support programme for religious bodies (Christians and Muslims) in the State. He said the state government will be dolling out one billion naira for the next three months to feed the poor people in the state. Someone might want to ask how this translates to industrial harmony in the State. Be reminded that all workers in the State belong to one religious body or the other, therefore, workers are going to be beneficiaries of the feeding programme either directly or indirectly.
Let’s not also forget the EDOJOBS initiative of Governor Obaseki which has seen thousands of youths being trained and empowered with digital skills, job opportunities, and the empowerment of young entrepreneurs to excel in their respective fields of endeavours.
Today, Edo public sector buildings such as the State Secretariat, Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS), The Nigerian Observer, Stella Obasanjo Hospital, have all been rebranded, including the creation and building of the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), and the Victor Uwaifo Hub for entertainment activities among others.
The Obaseki approach to industrial harmony yielded positive results that are visible to the blind and audible to the deaf is an approach worthy of emulation and other state governments including the federal government should borrow a leave from the Edo public sector reforms that have seen Edo State enjoying industrial harmony with Labour Unions in the State
