The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the use of the National Industrial Relations Policy to criminalise strike actions by trade unions in Nigeria.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero stated this on Friday in Abuja, adding that the statement by the Federal Government that the newly adopted National Industrial Relations Policy was aimed at stopping frequent industrial actions, particularly strikes by trade unions.
He said the FG action was as very reprehensible.
Ajaero said “We are in shock that from a catalogue of hundreds of workplace issues contained in the National Industrial Relations Policy, the Federal Government singled out industrial strikes as its headache.
“The unfortunate press statement exposes the mindset of those who were elected to protect the interests of the ordinary citizen, including workers.”
He accused the FG of always using muscling the labour after decisions reached through a process of tripartism and social dialogue, recalling that there were attempts during the development of the National Industrial Relations Policy for Nigeria to insert certain clauses in the policy that criminalised strike actions.
The NLC said “The trade unions, the employers and even the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour rejected such insertions as anomalous to the 1999 Constitution and the Trade Unions Act, which give trade unions the power to withdraw their services in line with the law.
“It appears to us that there are personalities in the corridors of power who want to enjoy the fruits of constitutional governance and, at the same time, reject the principles of constitutionality, the rule of law, and respect for international labour standards.
“The right of a worker and trade unions to withdraw their services is fundamental and inalienable. That a government is celebrating the clandestine insertion of such a toxic clause in a National Industrial Relations Policy, which, anyway, is inferior to the Constitution and Trade Union Act, reveals the depth of mischief that some people in government can sink just to feed their fantasy on chains and whips.
“While the Nigeria Labour Congress and Organised Labour in Nigeria condemn and reject this new law in industrial relations in Nigeria, we assure Nigerian workers that the leadership of the Congress and the Labour Movement remain watchful on our mandate of protecting the rights, interests and hard-won industrial liberties guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, our labour laws and indeed fundamental international labour standards which Nigeria is signatory to.”
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
