The organised labour in the country has stated that unimplemented labour laws in Nigeria have stripped away key protections for the country’s workforce and are denying large numbers of workers the right to union representation and decent work.
Labour has also noted that more Nigerians are now forced to take a second job to make ends meet as labour market conditions become more precarious and incomes stagnate.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos on how the Nigerian Government and other employers of labour have not implemented the extant labour laws in the country, President General of Trade Union Congress (TUC), comrade Peter Esele said: “The government has ignored the advice of the ILO despite promising to respect international labour standards for workers in the country to enjoy decent work and social protection.”?
“A small number of employers and foreign investors are getting the benefits of the government’s lack of concern for the men and women who produce the goods and provide the services that keep the economy running,” he added
“While the oil industry in Nigeria contributes about 40 percent to the GDP, it employs only about 0.15 percent of the country’s population. If Nigeria fails to plan for its next generation, it could face worsening social unrest,” he lamented.
He stressed that government should initiate policies that would tackle the high rate of unemployment in the country.
“Nigerians in the workforce are mostly affected by the high rate of anti- workers’ policies that have affected? their incomes and their earning potential suffering as a result of? lack of rights at work, lack of job creation policies, social protection and social dialogue involving unions and employers as this is crucial to turning the Nigeria economy around and generating the tax revenues for governments to tackle the fiscal situation.”
Also, the President of Association of Banks, Insurance and other Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Sunday Olusoji? Salako, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently initiate policies aimed at arresting the growing rate of unemployment in the country, and pointed out that the high rate of unemployment in the country posed a great threat to peace and security in the country .