GIVING VOICE TO THE PEOPLE: EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF NEW MEDIA ON STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN THE NIGERIAN TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
GIVING VOICE TO THE PEOPLE: EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF NEW MEDIA ON STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN THE NIGERIAN TRADE UNION MOVEMENT

Summary/Abstract: Given Nigeria’s authoritarian and undemocratic governance (until her recent experimentation with democratic governance), workers rights and welfare have been pushed to the margin. This has given a bad taste of long drawn-out conflict and stakeholder deadlock. However, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), which is the umbrella body that solicits the rights, interest and welfare of workers in Nigeria, has been vibrant in its efforts to bring greater stakeholder participation and interest representation in trade union movement. With the new wave of democratic process gaining increasing momentum, workers’ rights and the dialectics of participatory and engaging trade unionism can be accelerated given the increased discourse space that this medium affords. This paper takes its strength from this departure and demonstrates (as shall be exemplified presently) how the new media can be instrumental in widening workers’ participation, which can potentially leverage the overall efforts to enhance stakeholder engagement in this sector. In addition, this process can also add to the attempts to bring more responsible governance in Nigeria’s new-fangled democracy as government retreats. Finally, trade union discourse can be deepened for greater agitation and protection of workers’ rights in Nigeria.

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