Technological advancement threatens workforce, ILO says

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has raised concerns over technological advancements which it described as a threat to industrial harmony across the world.

Dennis Zulu who is the organisation’s country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, said this in an interview with Journalists on Monday in Abuja.

Zulu lamented the increasing rate at which technology was replacing workforce with companies and organisations laying off workers while the banking sector is fast replacing some workers with ATM and internet banking.

He cautioned that technology could change the relationships between employer and employee.

“One of the things that we are saying which will be very evident in the future is that the relationship that we know today between an employer and employee will change because of technology.

“If you are a worker working from home with no direct interaction with the employer, how do we ensure that either party is happy with the relationship.

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“We really have to look forward and prepare ourselves for the changes that will happen. As you can see already, in a number of countries, banks are laying off their employees because of technology.

“How do we support member states to ensure that these workers who lose their jobs get their rights?

‘’How do we ensure that we prepare the young ones as they go into acquiring an education that will equip them for the future?

He added that the four strategies which made up decent works, including protecting rights, ensuring equitable access to employment opportunities for both men and women, and ensuring that social protection is available to all workers, must be met

‘’Lastly and importantly, is the concept of social dialogue in the discussion between employees and employers as far as they agreed to what sort of relationships that they should have, he said’’

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