By Victor Ahiuma-Young
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has decried the abuse and denial of basic rights, including minimum wage, of informal workers, declaring that all efforts should be geared toward unionising informal sector workers.
Deputy General Secretary of NLC, Ismail Bello, who spoke at the public presentation of the certificate of registration to the National Union of Nigerian Welders (NUNIWE) in Lagos by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employement, insisted that organised labour must break barriers in every sector to ensure that all workers are covered by unions.
He said: “We are particularly worried about the situation of private security guards. This category of workers is being abused, humiliated, and denied their basic rights, including the minimum wage. Most of them are paid between N20,000 and N30,000 monthly, far below the national minimum wage of N70,000. They have no protection, no pension, no leave, no medical allowance, among others. We must all join hands in unity to ensure that workers, whether formal or informal, are protected. We must extend our hands of solidarity and unity.”
Addressing leaders and members of NUNIWE, the NLC Deputy General Secretary advised them to, among other things, remain united, be democratic, achieve financial independence through union dues, embrace pension schemes, and prioritize occupational health and safety.
In his goodwill message, President of the Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA), Rufus Olusesan, also called for unity among members, saying the union is big enough to accommodate the interests of all welders.
Olusesan, credited with bringing together about eight factions of welders to form the umbrella union NUNIWE, added: “The next important thing is for everybody to work for the growth and prosperity of NUNIWE.”
In his acceptance speech, President of NUNIWE, Peters Iniobong, noted that the journey to the certification of NUNIWE was not easy and commended Olusesan for making the formation of the union a reality by tirelessly uniting all factional leaderships.
He announced an eight-point agenda for the leadership of NUNIWE, which includes sharing information on legitimate welding opportunities in Nigeria and abroad, following up on cases of dehumanization of welders in various workplaces and resolving them, and collaborating with stakeholders to implement the Nigerian Content Development Act as it relates to welders and welding activities in Nigeria.
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