By Victor Ahiuma-Young

A storm of controversy is brewing over the newly adopted  National Industrial Relations Policy, NIRP, 2025 as organised labour and employers take sharply different positions on its intent and potential impact on industrial harmony in Nigeria.

The policy, approved by the  Federal Executive Council, FEC, on July 31, is designed, according to the government, to modernise Nigeria’s industrial relations, IR system and strengthen mechanisms for dispute prevention and resolution.

However, while employers have hailed it as a progressive step, organised labour has rejected it outright, alleging an attempt to curtail the right to strike and weaken trade unions.

Employers back NIRP

Commenting on the policy, Director-General of the  Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA; the umbrella body for employers in the country, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, described the NIRP 2025 as a well-thought-out framework capable of fostering a more dynamic and responsive industrial relations landscape.

According to him: “The NIRP 2025 is a document well written, discussed, and validated by tripartite stakeholders with support from the International Labour Organisation, ILO.

“While it might not be a perfect document, it creates a foundation to build a dynamic IR system that is fluid enough to respond to the rapidly changing world of work. It is the product of long and sincere tripartite consultation and deliberation aimed at fostering a peaceful and dynamic industrial relations ecosystem in Nigeria.”

‘Knee-jerk’ policy, says Labour

However, Organised Labour, rejected the policy, saying it was aimed at emasculating unions and vowed to resist it.

Speaking through the  Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Labour dismissed the policy as a hasty response to frequent industrial disputes instead of addressing underlying systemic problems.

TUC Deputy President, Comrade Oluwole Olusoji, said: “The NIRP would have been a welcome development if drawn up for the right reasons. What we see here is a knee-jerk approach to dealing with labour disputes.

“A lot of issues arising from labour disputes stem from the continued delay in reviewing the Labour Act and signing it into law. Our advice is for government to act on that with the same speed it used to draw and approve this policy.”

Attack on workers’ rights — NLC

Earlier, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, went further, accusing the government of attempting to criminalise strike actions.

In a strongly worded statement, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, described the policy as  “reprehensible”.

Ajaero said: “We are shocked 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 elected to protect the interests of the ordinary citizen, including workers.

“We recall that during the policy’s development, there were attempts to insert clauses criminalising strike actions, which were unanimously rejected by trade unions, employers, and even representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour.

“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, in any case, is inferior to the Constitution and the Trade Unions Act—reveals the depth of mischief some in government can sink just to feed their fantasy on chains and whips.”

The NLC President vowed that labour would resist any attempt to roll back constitutional freedoms: “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, our labour laws, and international labour standards to which Nigeria is a signatory. The struggle continues.”

Uphold Ideals of founding fathers —JAF

Meanwhile, the  Joint Action Front (JAF), a coalition of civil society allies of labour, said it had yet to review the full details of the policy but challenged the NLC under Joe Ajaero’s leadership to uphold the ideological values and principles established by past labour leaders or face stiff resistance.

JAF Secretary, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, declared: “The NLC has no excuse not to be guided by the exemplary legacies set by Comrades Màó Imoudu and Wahab Goodluck, and consolidated by Comrades Hassan Sunmonu and Ali Chiroma.

“These founding leaders built the labour movement on ideological clarity, defence of the working-class interest, commitment to workers’ welfare, and respect for the dignity of the workforce.

“Anything less than these core values in any document must be rejected and resisted.”

Aremu warned against compromises that could undermine workers’ rights and the independence of the labour movement.

Vanguard News