In compliance with the recommendation at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention held at Geneva in May 2020, Stallion Group has embarked on what would in near future translate to first-ever all-women automobile assembly operations in Nigeria.
In a paper for the Technical Meeting on the Future of Work in the Automotive Industry presented at the gathering, ILO recommended the implementation of an industry-wide transformative gender agenda and monitor progress against it.
“This agenda,” it states, “include: enhancing equal employment opportunities in the auto industry by adopting measures to improve women’s access to education, skills training, and a work–life balance.”
According to Mr. Manish Rohtagi, Managing Director of Stallion Auto Keke Limited (SAKL), a subsidiary of Stallion Group, Stallion finds it easy to implement the ILO recommendation, because it is in consonance with the company’s belief in equal opportunity for women across all fields.
“Assembly line production and fitting work,” he argued, “has, over the years, predominantly male domain. However, women possess equal acumen and finesse in understanding the job task and performing it with aplomb.
“That is why Stallion Empowerment Initiative (SEI), through its youth empowerment programs has been driving gender equity and encouraging women workers to get trained for equal opportunities and equal income.”
Rohtagi, a strong proponent of women empowerment, therefore, envisages making Stallion Bajaj the first company in Nigeria to have an all-female team of auto assemblers.
That explains why before the end of 2020, Stallion became Nigeria’s first company to deliberately embark on training and recruitment of suitably qualified women for assembly operations in the auto industry.
Managed by SAKL in conjunction with Stallion Empowerment initiative (SEI), a Charity arm of Stallion Group, recruitment for women assemblers’ training is done after careful screening of their profile, candidature, educational qualification, and skill level.
First, applicants have to scale through a technical interview conducted by the company’s training division, after which successful candidates go through a three-month theoretical and practical training held at Stallion Training Centre, followed by on-the-job training at the shop floor.
The exercise is concluded with theoretical and practical tests, trailed by performance evaluation and certification for line deployment.
Qualified women assemblers have options of either being absorbed in the organization as employees or certified as assemblers and mechanics if they prefer setting up their own workshops outside of Stallion Group.
Reactions from Qualified Women Assemblers
Within the last quarter of 2020, not less than 38 Nigerian women have become trained and certified as auto assemblers, courtesy of Stallion’s Women Empowerment program. And reactions of some of the lucky candidates are about dreams coming true.
For instance, Ohakwe Favour, 21, a school Leaving Certificate holder, happens to be one of the first 38. Before joining the scheme, she worked as an auto parts sales assistant.
She said: “I took up the opportunity because it is what I love doing, to become a lady technician and to know more about automobile assembly. So, for me, this is a dream come true.”
Sanyaolu Oluwatosin, aged 19, who attended Oregun Senior High School, Lagos, before working with an auto manufacturing firm, said her dream had always been to become a lady automobile mechanic.
“When I heard about this scheme,” she recalled, “I applied because I saw it as an opportunity to achieve my goal and to be different among others. I love coupling bolts and nuts to make a job. So I feel at home, comfortable and proud to work in an assembly plant. “
Similarly, Ogunjobi Omolola, 19, attended Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Senior School, Maryland, Lagos before securing a job with Idris Mechanical Maintenance Engineering. She was one of the first 38 women auto assemblers produced by Stallion.
Reacting, she said: “I feel fulfilled because I am now certified for what I like doing. I love coupling things together. I can now do what I feel comfortable doing.”
Future Outlook
Although, as of May 2020, ILO still expressed pessimism about future improvement in the low labour market participation of women in the automotive industry, from all indications, Stallion Group is determined to change the narrative for Nigeria.
As revealed by Stallion Group’s GM Marketing, Ms. Arpita Roy Luthra, in addition to the 38 women, who have already acquired auto assembly and maintenance skills, Stallion has concluded plans to recruit and train female assemblers on a quarterly basis.
From the look of things, therefore, with the take-off of Stallion’s Women Auto Assembler Scheme, Nigeria could be heading towards disproving ILO’s recent pessimistic pronouncement.
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