Public Services International (PSI) has emphasized the need for equal access to quality public services for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja during a national advocacy workshop tagged “Unions Defending Human Rights, Climate Justice, and Quality, Public Services for IDPS in Nigeria” Genevieve Gencianos, PSI Migration Programme Coordinator, stressed that discrimination in the provision of public services undermines human rights and hinders the building of resilient communities.
She said, “We are public service workers, and we must defend and demand respect for human and labour rights for everyone, with no discrimination for refugees, migrants and IDPs, including for the local population. This is the only way we can build resilient communities, build compassion communities with empathy, with respect for human rights and social justice. And this is what PSI Global Union stands for.”
She said climate change has been a contributing factor for forced displacement, noting that as frontline actors, workers in the public sector are among those who have been impacted by the effects of climate change.
“No one is immune to the impacts of climate change. And the most profound impact of climate change is forced displacement. We have droughts, floods. We have all these calamities, forest fires and everything the world is suffering from this impact on climate change.”
She said PSI will continue to defend the provision of public services and will continue its advocacy against the privatization of public services such as healthcare, water and education.
She said, “Everyone is entitled to the respect of his or her dignity to human rights, and that includes civil and political rights and also economic, social and cultural rights.
Also speaking, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero said Climate change and internal displacement has become critical issues in the lives of workers and their communities in many ways that are often ignored, misrepresented or underrepresented and mismanaged.
Represented by Comrade Hauwa Mustapha, Ajaero said it is therefore quite appropriate and timey that workers through their representative organization become proactive in the issues that are affecting them, to understand the impact and identify effective responses.
He said, “The statistics and the fact that shows that workers have been caught in the crisis of insurgency in the northeast is very clear. These are specifically among Local Government employees, health workers, teachers and civil servants. Climate Change is the most talked about global phenomenon with the greatest existential threat to humanity with a huge threat to trade union membership, jobs, social protection and workers’ rights. It is therefore a trade union issue. Trade unions in Africa must stop treating climate change issues as an aside or as a reactive project, rather making climate change an inclusive core component of trade unions collective bargaining agreement.”
