Workers’ Day, or May Day, as it is known worldwide, is a day set aside by the United Nations to celebrate the contributions of workers globally to the socio-economic development of their nations.
Marked on the 1st of May every year, the day commemorates also the struggles of workers and the ultimate sacrifice of some in the fight to attain the daily eight-hour labour they enjoy today.
This measure raised both national and international consciousness on the importance of promoting and protecting the rights of workers as well as reminding workers of their responsibilities and obligations to society.
The date was picked by a container National Association of Communist and Socialist Political gatherings to honour the Haymarket undertaking, which happened in Chicago on May 4th, 1886.
In many countries across the globe, including Nigeria, Workers Day is recognised as a public holiday.
May Day became a national holiday in Nigeria in 1981. While it was initially recognised as a public holiday in 1980 by the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) government of Kano State, North West, Nigeria, became a national holiday on May 1, 1981
The international theme for the 2025 May Day is “Revolutionising health and safety: the role of AI and digitalisation at work”.
The theme focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation on occupational health and safety, examining how these technologies can both improve and potentially worsen working conditions.
The theme also aims to explore how AI and digitalisation are reshaping workplaces, including the use of robots, advanced technologies, and data analysis, highlighting the benefits and risks of the technology.
Research shows that while these technologies offer potential benefits like automating hazardous tasks and early hazard detection, they also pose risks like work intensification, increased surveillance and blurred work-life boundaries.
One of the benefits of this technology that may appeal to organised labour, or workers generally, is that this year’s theme emphasises the need to adapt occupational safety and health systems to the changing landscape of work, ensuring that workers are protected in the face of the new technologies.
Occupational Safety and Health is deeply rooted in the heart of the International Labour Organisation, ILO. The ILO is leading the discussion, bringing together its constituents and international experts to examine how AI and digitalisation are reshaping occupational safety and health systems across sectors and countries.
Worthy of note is the fact that the over one hundred and eighty member states of the ILO have keyed into the importance of ensuring occupational safety and health in the workplace, with the ILO providing all the technical supports for countries to manoeuvre this and make it a national law.
For instance, the organised labour in Nigeria, having embraced the need for safety and health in the world of work to be imbibed in her national laws, ensured that their members would not lose their jobs or be rendered redundant as the advent of the new technology becomes imperative.
The government, in responding to this fear, has strengthened some of her already existing machineries as well as introduced innovations to ensure that workers remain in business and relevant while embracing and appreciating artificial intelligence (AI).
The recent launch by the Nigerian government of the Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme, LEEP, is a testament to the government’s concern to equip its workforce with the needed tools to stay afloat and remain relevant in the face of new technologies.
President Bola Tinubu says at the launch that LEEP is designed to expand employment opportunities, equip Nigerians with critical skills, and drive economic empowerment through innovation and technology.
There is also the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), an agency of the Nigerian government under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. The mandate of the DBI includes equipping Nigerians, especially the youths, with cutting-edge ICT and telecommunications skills essential for success in today’s fast-evolving digital landscape.
The institute has initiated several trainings, workshops and seminars.
It has established campuses in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria to ensure that citizens meet international best practices in the world of technological advancement.
As the Nigerian government takes decisive steps to equip its workforce with the skills to compete effectively in the global digital world, it behooves on labour and workers across the board, as part of their Workers’ Day resolve, to take advantage of these opportunities to remain relevant in the ever-speedily changing digital and technological landscape.
