By  Victor Ahiuma-Young

The International Labour Organisation, ILO, defines decent work as work that takes place under conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity, in which rights are protected and adequate remuneration and social coverage is provided equally for men and women.

Cross section of Nigerian workers, during the 2014 Workers day commemoration, THEME: Building Enduring Peace and Unity, Panacea for Sustainable National Development, at Onikan, Stadium, Lagos Island.

Workplace practices outside the above are now commonly known as anti-labour practices.

These practices by employers in their drive for profit maximation will soon turn workplaces across the country into a battle field between workers and business owners if feelers from labour movement are anything to go by.

United labour front

However, like-minded unions and associations affiliated to IndustriAll Global Union Federation in Nigeria recently gathered to raise their voice against unfair labour practices in Nigerian workplaces.

The IndustriAll affiliates included National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, NUPENG, National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non Metallic Product Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, Petroleum and natural Gas Senior Staff Association, PENGASSAN, and Chemical and Non Metallic Product Senior Staff Association, CANMPSSA.

The occasion was to mark the 2014 World Decent Work Day.

Such unfair labour practices are seen as casualisation, outsourcing, contract staffing and other non-pensionable employment and above all, refusal by employers to allow workers form or join unions of their choice.

These are now fashionable practices in all private sectors of the economy; manufacturing, construction, banking, telecommunication, petroleum as well as many public sector establishments.

Jobs no longer safe

Speaking at the event, Chairman of African Region of IndustriALL Union, Comrade Issa Aremu, said jobs in Nigeria were no longer secure as employers opt for short-term, flexible employment as part of strategies to save cost and boost profit.

He explained that these developments informed the decision of affiliates of IndustriALL global union in the country to use the occasion of the ILO’s decent work day to launch the “Stop Precarious Work Campaign.”

Low income, job insecurity, delayed payments of salaries and pensions, long hours of work without overtime payment, denial of sick leave and payment for sick leave, denial of annual and maternity leave, job insecurity, lack of redundancy benefits, poor health and safety conditions and non-payment of compensation for injuries sustained at work, poor working conditions, poor motivation, lack of social protection, arbitrary deduction and non-remittance of pension contributions and taxes, denial of rights to join the union and bargain collectively are some of the effects of casualisation and other unethical employment practices currently embraced by employers.”

Aremu, also a Vice-President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and General Secretary of NUTGTWN, expressed concern over increasing disregard for the rule of law by several private sector employers, lamenting that violation and open disregard for the law is capable of creating an atmosphere of industrial anarchy and chaos.

Violation of workers’ rights

Speaking on the violation of workers’ rights, Aremu insisted that Nigerian labour laws in spite of the need for review still offer great protection for working class people. He lamented that the progressive laws were being violated with impunity by employers particularly in the private sector as workers were denied the right to organize.

“Such anti-union employers include Sino PP Limited, a sack manufacturing company in Kano. It engages in open disregard for the law by refusing to honour the judgement of the National Industrial Court, NIC, in favour of the NUTGTWN after 10 years of laborious struggle to organize workers in the factory.

As we speak, the Chinese employers variously disregarded court rulings in favour of unionization and face court contempt and mass actions of organized labour.”

Social protection still very far

According to Aremu, unions have resolved to work together to defend the rights of members across the country particularly the right to organise and bargain collectively, saying “we demand immediate end to all forms of employment that offend human dignity and deny workers access to living wages, social protection and denial of the right to join the union.

We ask employers of labour to respect the law and where the law is observed in the breach, the Ministry of Labour and other agencies of government should enforce the law.

“To the millions of workers subjected to inhuman and un-dignifying employment, we are determined to join forces to embark on unbroken struggle to force recalcitrant employers to respect workers right to join the union. It is the basis for our struggle to end precarious work in Nigeria.”