NLC factions unite to mark decent workday 

The two factions of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which since March this year, have walked their different ways, Tuesday, in Lagos, agreed to a joint protest against factors that promote abuse of workers right in workplaces, as the congress joins the rest of the world today, to mark “Decent Work Day.”

The reunion was facilitated by the Nigerian Council of Industrial Global Union, ahead of today’s event. October 7 every year is observed as decent work day by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The NLC groups comprises of Ayuba Wabba, NLC president, Joe Ajaero, factional NLC president, Issa Aremu, factional NLC deputy president, and Igwe Achese, president, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

Issa Aremu, chairman, Industrial Global Union, said the aim of the day was used to promote global awareness on the need for decent work.

`According to Aremu, decent work means productive, rewarding and protected work that guarantees minimum and living wages for the workers.

He said all over the world, work was no more decent as millions of workers were exposed to worsening health and safety situations with increased cases of deaths and injuries at work.

He said in Nigeria, workers had the right to make ungovernable and unmanageable companies and states that were defaulting on wage payment.

“The salaries of workers are delayed and some are being owed for up to seven months. They also face the problem of non- remittance of pension contributions and union dues,’’ he said.

The union chairman said that the challenge was made worse by outsource employment, which was usually contracted under inhuman terms.

He said that few workers who are employed are getting poorer because of poor remuneration as employers diverse short term flexible employment as part of the strategies to save cost and boost profit.

He said it was regrettable that multinational companies are not willing to offer regular and direct employment, and many women and young workers are caught in the web of precarious work.

Aremu said that precarious employment has multiple consequences that affected the societies and led to high rate of poverty and increasing inequality.

He said that all the affiliates of the industrial All Global Union would use the occasion of decent work day to reiterate their commitment and collective resolve to defend the rights of workers and members across all sectors.

Ayuba in his remark said that there was dignity in Labour and the union must fight for workers right Act as contained in the ILO convention.

He said that workers right Act should be able to offer social protection for those who are not employed because it was lack of job that had given rise robbery and insecurity in the society.