By Victor AhiumaYoung

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has challenged government and other stakeholders to step up efforts at making the world of work safer and promoting the ideals and objectives of the Occupational Safety and Health framework.

President of NLC, Joe Ajaero in a goodwill message at the National Occupational Safety and Health, OSH, national profile review and validation workshop in Abuja, stressed the importance of a national OSH profile, noting that the decent-work agenda which is at the heart of the global understanding of the criticality of the protection of the rights and privileges of workers from abuse and violation in the workplace and in the larger society, speaks to the need to ensure safer workplaces. 

He said:  “It is in that same spirit that we call on all of us to continue raising our voices so that we can save our nation not just from injustices in the workplace but in the larger society. Without a fair and equitable nation, we cannot create effective frameworks to make the world of work safer and better.

“We therefore call on all national stakeholders to join us to continue to hold our government accountable because when there’s equity in Nigeria, there will be greater safety in the world of work.

“While it is important to have a national OSH profile, more important is to ensure that we are committed to its use. The same determination and zeal with which we have pursued this process should also be brought to bear in ensuring that the Document when it comes out, gets to all Nigerians who have stake in the world of work.

“It will be an empty exercise if those who are supposed to use it are not using it. Our exercise today should therefore be a call to greater commitment on all of us as stakeholders to work harder to make this document achieve its objectives. The only way the contents can get to the proposed targets is if we make it accessible.”