GUIDE TO LABOUR STUDIES PROGRAMME IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO

GUIDE TO LABOUR STUDIES PROGRAMME IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO






BY


MA’AZU MOHAMMED YUSIF







BEING A MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE.

MARCH, 1987

Introduction:
The establishment of Labour studies institute/Centre in Kano is long over-due. I know of two attempts by individuals and groups to start a Labour study institute which failed possibly due to lack of institutional and financial support. The present initiative in the department of political science, Bayero University Kano to start Labour studies programme will be a fine development if pursued with deserved seriousness and courage. I mean courageous because of the likely obstacles on our way.

A Labour study programme should go beyond a programme of teaching Labour courses. It should incorporate many other supporting elements to evolve a mature Labour study programme. The purpose of this paper is to outline the components of the Labour studies programme and make some comments so as to serve as basis for discussion by members of the Department and the departmental committee on Labour studies in particular. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section is an attempt to highlight the significance of Labour studies centre in Kano. The second section gives and comments on the components of the proposed labour studies programme. Finally is the conclusion and recommendations.

I. The Significance of Labour Studies Programme in Kano
Despite the fact that Nigeria is one of the developing countries with large industrial and other categories of working people, with long history of trade Unionism, oppressive labour laws, oppressive conditions of work especially in manufacturing industries and with Trade Unionists and academics nursing the ambition of a Labour studies institute, there is no comprehensive labour Research/studies centre throughout the country. We can only boast of disorganised research and labour studies section in some Research Institutes, University Libraries and the National and state secretariats of the Nigerian Labour Congress.

I can confidently state that Kano provides the best point for Labour Research and studies programme in the country. With the possible exception of Lagos, Kano has the largest concentration of industries, industrial and other non-industrial works, and trade union organisations. Our programme will undoubtedly have a lot to utilise from these developments.

Secondly, the on-going dynamics of crisis and industrialisation process in the country has a far-reaching consequences, creating new conditions in the process which will be of great benefit to scholars interesting in Labour studies. I have personally visited some industries in Kano, and my conclusion is a more systematically funded research work to study the problems observed.

Thirdly, though the labour studies programme will have a wider national and international coverage, there is in recent years a growing interest in the study of working-class development and actions, and labour process and capitalist development in Kano, which surpassed the record of any other place in the country.

II. Guidelines for the Labour Programme
The labour studies programme should in broad terms be plan to in-corporate the following:
A labour Research Unit.
A labour Data Bank.
Labour courses at undergraduate and other levels.
A publication Unit.
To promote co-operation with labour study groups all over the world, and to liaise with international labour research organisation and groups.
To encourage a compilation of selected bibliography on historical and contemporary materials on labour in Nigeria.
To organise annual workshop and conferences to discuss labour issues.

Labour Research Unit:
Until recently, few labour researches and publications are not restricted to legal and institutional aspects of industrial relations. Shop floor studies in particular are not many. The reason can be attributed to harassment by state and employers, on exposing conditions of work in industries. On then other hand, there is lack of interest by academics on labour research in the country. If one compares level of political and economic repression in countries of south and south-east Asia, with that of Nigeria, it is certainly at higher level over there. Yet academics and labour Activists produce marvellous research output on various aspects of labour and Trade unionism. With adequate institutional and financial support intellectuals working on Nigeria can do the same.

Important studies such as Peter Walterma’s, Paul Lubeck and Andrain Peace should be continued at higher level of theoretical focus. Rauf’s work and that of Olukoshi on Kano highlights important trends on labour process and capitalist Development. The recent and on-going works by Beckman and Bangura on Textiles and Automobile industry respectively are very useful exposure of labour process and labour struggles in the period of economic crisis. Thus studies on labour process at industry level and every sector of the economy should be on our labour research programme. Julius Ihonvbere’s work on labour in the oil industry is quite revealing. Such work should be extended and others in the agricultural and other sectors commissioned. Rural wage labour is particularly inadequately represented in Nigeria’s labour Research output. Jackson’s and Lennihan’s research work on rural wage labourers in Kano and Northern Nigeria respectively are speculations. But there are many interesting information that can be found on rural wage-labour in many research projects on irrigation projects in the country. There are many such projects in the Department of Political Science and Sociology of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Jega’s thesis on Bakolori is also a major source of background information. The cocoa region of western Nigeria also requires rigorous research. It is a most important single region in the country with abundant rural wage-labourers. I know of many historical materials on that but contemporary development is not sufficiently explored.

Therefore, our research unit can contribute immensely to labour studies by promoting research on among other things, labour process and industrialisation, labour research in rural arrears, at industry level and various sections of the economy. Also important will be studies on strikes, Trade Union politics, etc.

Labour Data Bank
There are many sources that can be effectively utilised to obtain materials and documents on the development of Nigeria working-class and working-class Movement. Adamu’s paper: Nigerian Trade Union Studies’ A Survey: contains many relevant sources, organisations and research centres that can be utilised to secure abundant research materials on labour in Nigeria. Secondly, there are dozens post-graduate research essays on labour in Nigeria, written in Nigerian Universities, and many in Europe and America that may be useful to document.

Labour Courses:
Labour courses can be arranged at the following levels:
1. Seminar course for labour Activists.
2. Diploma certificate course for Trade Unionists.
3. Courses on Labour and Trade Unionism for undergraduate students.

It is hope that labour courses for labour Activists may attract the “super secretaries” of our trade unions, instead of going to Europe, America and Moscow for such training. Such training may be structured to deal with state-trade union relations; employer-trade union relations; labour organisations, public relations, labour legislations and decrees, the system for industrial arbitration, etc.

For students at undergraduate level, courses like Development of Trade Unionism in Nigeria, Industrial relations, Trade Unions in Africa, labour and industrialisation in “Newly Industrialising countries” etc. may be organised.

A Publication Unit:
A publication unit is essential to give confidence and courage to staff and students, and all other people involved in the programme, and to disseminate our work. Seminar and research can be binded as occasional monographs. Important labour reports, speeches, and document, from labour Activists can also be binded and circulated. This will even create and cement co-operation with Trade Union Movements. Important and rich research output or collection of monographs can be published or sponsored for publication by a reputable publication company.

Co-operation with other Labour study Groups:
Labour studies cooperation with experienced labour studies Groups worldwide can enhance our work and lead to a qualitative research out-put. Some labour study Groups such as Akut Labour Studies Group Uppsala; Centre for Working life Stockhelm; and International Labour studies: the Hague, Netherlands are experienced in labour research/studies in developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Association with them even if is at level of exchange of materials and/or staff will be fruitful to our fine intentions to inaugurate labour studies programme in the Department. The International Labour Organisations, World Employment Programme Research has many branches, such as Rural Employment Policy Research Programme, Women Workers Research Programme, etc. whose staff and research fellows work in Nigeria.

Selected Bibliography:
We can as a matter of urgency embark on a compilation of selected Bibliography on labour and labour Movement, which can be used by staff and students in research and teaching. We cannot successfully embark on labour studies and research if we do not even know the existing materials on the subject and its scope.

Labour Studies Workshop:
We can organise a biannual or annual workshop to provide a forum to report and discuss labour research. The workshop can subsequently be use invite individuals and groups from outside the country to exchange views and about the situation of the working-class and unions in our countries, in subjects such as labour laws; industrial unrest, labour process and living standard of factory workers, etc. This may in the final analysis serve as a way of creating understanding and cooperation between trade unions and labour studies groups world-over.

III. Conclusion:
However, these can be evolved gradually. A Departmental Labour Research Group comprising all interesting members in labour studies can be constituted to promote individual and collective labour Research efforts. Our students, especially final year ones and those undergoing post-graduate programme can be encouraged to carry on research on labour issues.

Furthermore, I suggest that as from next session we introduce some labour courses at under-graduate level, even if is under our “special Topic” courses. All these can be given further impetus if we associate with experienced labour research Groups and individuals within and outside the country.