The Nigeria Labour Congress has condemned the federal government’s new National Industrial Relations Policy, accusing it of seeking to suppress workers’ rights to protest through strikes.
In a statement signed on Friday, NLC President Joe Ajaero said it was “in shock” that the Federal Government focused on curbing strikes, out of “a catalogue of hundreds of workplace issues” in the newly approved policy.
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The federal government recently approved the new policy intended to reduce industrial disputes and promote stable labour relations. The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, announced the decision after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.
According to Mr Idris, the policy aims to guide trade unions, employers, and government agencies by encouraging structured dialogue and aligning Nigeria’s labour practices with international standards. He described the policy as “a major step forward” in addressing long-standing gaps in managing labour relations.
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The congress referred to a government press release that stated that the policy aims to “stop frequent industrial actions, particularly strikes by trade unions.”
The NLC described the statement as “very reprehensible” and said it exposed the mindset of officials “elected to protect the interests of the ordinary citizen, including workers.”
“We are in shock 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 who were elected to protect the interests of the ordinary citizen, including workers,” the statement read.
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The Congress accused the government of trying to use “strong-arm tactics” to override agreements reached through social dialogue.
“We recall that there were attempts during the development of the National Industrial Relations Policy for Nigeria to insert certain clauses in the policy that criminalised strike actions. The trade unions, the employers and even the Federal Ministry of Labour representatives rejected such insertions as anomalous to the 1999 Constitution and the Trade Unions Act, which give trade unions the power to withdraw their services in line with the law,” the union stated.
The NLC said it appeared that “there are personalities in the corridors of power who want to enjoy the fruits of constitutional governance and, at the same time, reject the principles of constitutionality, the rule of law, and respect for international labour standards.”
It stressed that the right of workers and trade unions to withdraw services is “fundamental and inalienable,” warning that the policy cannot override the Constitution or the Trade Unions Act.
“That government is celebrating the clandestine insertion of such a toxic clause in a National Industrial Relations Policy, which, anyway, is inferior to the Constitution and Trade Union Act, reveals the depth of mischief that some people in government can sink just to feed their fantasy on chains and whips,” the NLC said.
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The Congress reaffirmed its commitment to protecting workers’ rights under national and international laws.
“While the Nigeria Labour Congress and Organised Labour in Nigeria condemn and reject this new low in industrial relations in Nigeria, we assure Nigerian workers that 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 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, our labour laws and indeed fundamental international labour standards which Nigeria is signatory to.”
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