AI: Stakeholders Worry Over Impending Job Losses

Stakeholders have expressed concerns over impending job losses following the growing robotised economy. 

They, however, called on the federal government for active improved social protection cover, 

Expressing concern over Nigeria’s gradually transition into the fifth industrial revolution which is driven by improved technology and artificial intelligence (AI), the president, National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Benedict Bakwaph Kanyip and president, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba called for protection of the rights of both the employers and employees.

While delivering the keynote address in Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA)’s organised forum National Labour Adjudication, in Lagos, Justice Kanyip agreed that since robotised workplaces have increased the risk of most, especially, the unskilled workers’ job loss, both the employers and employees should always refer to the jurisdiction of the court in resolving trade and other industrial disputes as it lies within the context of the law.

On his part, Comrade Ayuba Wabba reiterated his call for social protection for workers, training and retraining through capacity building for workers to keep them afloat and give job security to workers on the face of one robot doing jobs of many workers.

Moreover, Wabba stressed that, “since Covid-19, workers since 2020 have beginning to witness tremendous changes whereby workers have been made to work from long distances.” 

According to him, “as we progress into the fifth industrial revolution, there will be challenges brought about by these new forms of work. This means that we must scale up the issue of social protection to all workers regardless of where they work. We must find ways of expanding the social protection cover to ensure that all of them are protected because they are citizens and they deserve to have a means of livelihood. 

“We do not want anyone to lose their job to robots on account of technology. As a result, we are working hardly for registering new unions, including the informal sector and engaging more employers to see need for improved working conditions, protection of workers’ rights for their fruitful contribution to their employers.”

In his welcome address, the national president of NECA, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, explained that, the event was meant to further smoothen industrial peace, which is master key to development and workers’ productivities, since digitalisation is taking over.