The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has appealed to Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives to hasten the labour act amendment and put an end to casualization of workers.
He added that when amending the Labour Act, labour unions should be made more independent and every Nigerian worker should be allowed to join the union of his choice.
According to the NLC Chairman, Mr Ayuba Wabba, the prevalent practice of casualising workers has become a form of ‘modern day slavery’ and should be ended through legislation, NAN reports.
Wabba, who visited the Speaker, alongside other members of the NLC leadership urged the green chambers leader to strengthen the union through its legislations, as can be seen in other countries.
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Gbajabiamila assured the congress leaders that the house of representatives is willing to work with the union, in line with its motto “Nation Building, a Joint Task”.
He noted that the House of Representatives already has plans to amend the Labour Act, and urged the union leaders to speedily bring in their input as time is of essence.
“You should do that on time because time is of the essence so that we pass it very quickly,” Gbajabiamila said.
He assured them that strengthening the NLC, which happens to be an umbrella body of unions in the formal and informal sector, is key as it would encourage a stronger democracy in the country protecting the interest of Nigerians.
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What you should know
Casualisation is the practice of employing temporary staff for short periods and is often aimed at saving costs.
The Labour Act (Amendment) Bill 2019 awaiting second reading by the House proposes criminalising employing of workers on casual contracts beyond six months. It also proposes that any casual workers sacked by an employer after six months will be entitled to the benefits of full-time workers for six months, and prohibits outsourcing to third parties.