Decent Work Day: NLC demands end to ‘sacred cow syndrome’, seeks protection of vulnerable workers

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for justice and fair treatment for all workers as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the Decent Work Day.

In a statement Tuesday, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the rights and welfare of workers must never be compromised.

Ajaero said the annual commemoration of the Decent Work Day offers an opportunity to demand an end to “exploitation and impunity in workplaces” across the country.

The labour leader added that decent work is a fundamental condition for national progress.

“The rights and welfare of workers must not be compromised; we must end all forms of exploitation and impunity in our workplaces,” he said.

Ajaero asked both the government and private employers to uphold the four pillars of decent work — job creation, social protection, rights at work, and social dialogue.

He said the principles of decent work are being undermined by some government agencies and private organisations and warned that such actions were sabotaging industrialisation and economic diversification.

“No nation can achieve true development while repressing workers’ rights and promoting inequality,” he said.

Commenting on the dispute between the Dangote Group and its workers, Ajaero said, “No company in Nigeria is above the law or has the right to violate labour standards.”

He accused the company of breaching employees’ freedom of association and commended the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for standing by its members.

“It is dangerous to frame legitimate union activities as sabotage. Government must protect workers, not side with powerful employers,” Ajaero said.

The labour leader called for an end to the “sacred cow syndrome” and urged the government to demonstrate that “the law is no respecter of persons”.

Ajaero also urged the strengthening of labour institutions to enforce industrial laws and close decent work gaps across workplaces.

He said persistent violations of decent work ideals are “a ticking time bomb” that could destabilise the country.