Globalization and the Trade Union Movement in Nigeria

Abstract

The penetration of the third world societies and their integration into the organic unity structure of the western capitalism via globalization had the greatest impact upon the working class and its organizationstrade unions. And trade unions are often in contestation with the spirit of capitalism currently globalized. The consequences and challenges for the trade union movement in Nigeria that results from the various strategies that are adopted and applied are analyzed. Evidently, globalization through neo-liberal policies impacted negatively on the working class and its organization; by redefining work, skills obsolescence and deskilling of workers, re-engineering, contracting and sub-contracting and casualization of labour, increased job insecurity and unemployment. Similarly, it has led to pauperization of the working class, withdrawal of social provisioning and commodification of basic services by government, increased cost of living, declined in workers’ welfarism, consolidation of inequality and erosion of industrial democracy, with their attendant consequences on the organization of trade unionism in Nigeria. The study concludes that, the challenges for the trade union movement in Nigeria results from the various strategies that are adopted and applied by agents/driving forces of globalization. it is considered imperative for workers to be united in confronting the enormous power of capital. This can be done through the collective effort that required both socio-political and economic responses from the trade union movement in Nigeria.