Suchergebnisse

Since the inception of paid/wage employment, through a combination of sustained struggles and appeals to the conscience of the rest of society, workers, using the platform provided by their organizations (trade unions), have been able to secure for themselves a number of rights. These rights are predicated on, and complemented by, some constitutional provisions which confer certain rights on workers as citizens of their countries. However, in the new world economic order elegantly referred to as globalization workers' rights have been dealt a devastating blow. Under globalization driven by neoliberalism and anchored on less state involvement in the economic sphere, governments, particularly in their obsession to attract foreign direct investments as well as satisfying private corporate interests, have been arm‐twisted to relax labor laws that seek to protect workers from extreme abuse within the employment relationship. This unfolds within the context of the increasing autocracy of the capitalist state, not only in Nigeria but worldwide by which basic labor rights, such as the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, are brazenly violated even in the advanced democracies.Based on a combination of empirical data and secondary materials, this essay establishes that the level of compliance with existing legislation on workers' rights is low in Nigeria. The research also finds that official enforcement is equally low; a situation that is encouraged by weak institutional capacity of the labor administration system. Closely related to weak institutional capacity is the lack of the political will on the part of the subservient Nigerian state to protect its worker‐citizens. It is against this backdrop that the paper submits that given the failure of the state to ensure compliance with laws which seek to protect workers, workers, their organisations, and allies within the broader labour movement need to look beyond the state and its agencies to secure rights at work. The reality equally calls for a deeper understanding of the issues involved and a holistic response of the working class, both national and transnational.

BACKGROUND: Penta3 coverage in Nigeria was low at 33 % in 2017. The most reported reason for non-vaccination was lack of knowledge about the immunization place, time, and need. To address knowledge gaps and improve vaccination uptake, we designed an Immunization Reminder and Information SMS System (IRISS) to educate and remind parents/caregivers about immunization using SMS. A formative study was conducted to understand the contextual and behavioural factors that would inform the IRISS intervention design and implementation. METHODS: We conducted the study in four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kebbi State Nigeria in October 2018, amongst a diverse selection of participants. Data on social norms about vaccinations, barriers to immunization uptake, mobile phone use, SMS message testing, and willingness to accept SMS reminders were collected from focus group discussions (N = 11), in-depth interviews (N = 12), and key informant interviews (N = 13). In addition, we assessed 33 messages covering schedule reminders, normative, motivational, educational, and informative contents for clarity, comprehensibility, relevance, cultural appropriateness, and ability to motivate action among community members from Argungu and Fakai LGAs. All interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: We interviewed 135 people, and 90 % were community members. While we found positive perceptions about immunizations among those interviewed, pockets of misconceptions existed among community members. Lack of awareness on the importance of vaccination was a consistent reason for under-vaccination across the LGAs. In addition, most community members do not own phones, could not read SMS messages, and were unaware of how to check/open text messages received. Despite concerns about low literacy levels and phone ownership, community members still saw a role in SMS reminders when phone owners receive messages. For instance, community leaders can disseminate said messages to community members through existing channels such as ...