The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has expressed concern over the factionalisation of labour movement in Nigeria, noting that acrimonious divisions were limiting the capacity of the unions to fully articulate and represent the interest of Nigerian workers.
The Minister who lament lack of labour unity while receiving the visiting President of World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) Comrade Makwayiba Mzwandile Michael, on Wednesday urged the world labour body to use the opportunity of its Pan-African Congress scheduled for Nigeria in July 2017 to seek unity among Nigerian labour unions.
He said: “I believe that the summit offers a good opportunity for the unification of workers’ unions in Nigeria. We have factions and we shall appreciate if you use your office to bring unity among the factions so that workers’ unions and their parent federations will become one again in Nigeria. I raised the same issue yesterday when the Secretary General of the International Trade Union Congress, Sharon Baron visited.
“So, I use this opportunity to harp on the unity of workers in Nigeria, unity of workers on the continent and the unity of workers all over the world. Factionalisation creates a very big setback in workers’ strength because united we stand, divided, we fall,” the Minister said.
The Minister who noted the chequered history of the WFTU praised the organisation for surviving the factionalisation that beset her many years ago and pledged the commitment of Nigeria to any organisation that protects the rights of workers.
Ngige said: “We have adequate constitutional safeguards for the rights of workers in Nigeria. We have also domesticated all relevant sections of the ILO convention on workers’ rights.”
He hinted that Nigeria has moved steps further in plugging constitutional lacuna that militates against the welfare, safety and security of workers, citing the Employers Compensation Act (ECA), which compulsorily insures workers against accident, disaster, diseases and death that could occur in the course of work as an instance.
In his presentation, the President of the World Federation of Trade Unions, Comrade Makwayiba emphasised the importance of getting African governments as well as workers to speak with one voice on global labour issues.
Dwelling on the history of the union while drawing from its varied benefits to workers across the decades, Makwayiba said he was in Nigeria to seek the support of the country towards a successful Pan African July summit, saying it would afford Africans a veritable forum to cross-fertilise ideas on issues, conventions and resolutions of International Labour bodies like the ILO with African peculiar circumstances in focus.