By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has expressed its opposition to the newly adopted National Industrial Relations Policy is aimed at stopping frequent industrial actions, particularly strikes by trade unions.
The NLC condemned the new policy and described it “as very reprehensible.”
The Labour Movement, in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, assured Nigerian workers that the leadership of the Congress and the Labour Movement remained watchful on its mandate of protecting the rights, interests and hard-won industrial liberties guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.
Recall that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, had on Thursday approved the policy which was presented by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
But the NLC in the statement 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.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress also decries the penchant to use strong-arm tactics to overturn popular decisions reached through a process of tripartism and social dialogue.
“We recall 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 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. The Struggle Continues!”
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