Over 300 SHOPDIS members lose jobs due to factory shutdowns, downsizing

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The Shop and Distributive Trade Senior Staff Association (SHOPDIS) has reported that over 300 of its members have lost their jobs in the last five years due to factory shutdowns and downsizing by some companies. The union attributed the economic challenges to a harsh operating environment, forex scarcity, high energy costs, and other factors that have forced some member companies to shut down operations or reduce their staff strength.

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SHOPDIS National President Ajibola Azeez disclosed this during a basic organising training sponsored by Union Network International (UNI) Africa with funding from Union to Union of Sweden. The training aimed to strengthen collective bargaining and the inclusion of women and young workers in the democratic movement.

“We are losing members, and we need to regain them through organising,” Azeez said. “Unionism is about organizing. If you don’t have the power of organising, you won’t be able to do anything with your affiliates.

The union’s acting General Secretary, Olarenwaju Babatunde, emphasised the need to work with management to increase the union’s organisational effectiveness. “Most affiliates in our sector are not willing to allow us to unionise, so with this training, we want to re-strategise, go back to the drawing board and see how we can recruit more people, especially women and young workers,” he said.

The training will equip members with basic organising techniques, campaign organisation, collective bargaining, and gender equality skills. Sandi Mtshemla of UNI Africa noted that the training aims to encourage workers to organise and increase their membership to improve their working conditions.

“We want to empower workers to take control of their working conditions and negotiate better terms with their employers,” Mtshemla added. The training is part of efforts to strengthen the union’s capacity to organise and represent its members effectively.

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