May day: NECA wants labour to advocate for hospitable business environment

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has urged organised labour to join it as it continued to advocate for hospitable business environment that would ensure wealth creation for collective good.

In a statement on Sunday, its Director-General, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, also called for greater focus to be given to upskilling, innovation and enhanced professionalism in view of the rapidly changing workplace.

Oyerinde was speaking in commemoration of the 2023 Workers Day marked annually on May 1, with the theme: ‘’Workers Rights and Socio-Economic Justice’’.

‘’While we celebrate yet another year of the International Workers Day, it is also a time of deep reflections on where we were years ago, where we are today and where we hope to be few years from now.

‘’This will give us a clear scorecard of the state of our collective struggle to build a model nation where rights are protected, including the rights of enterprises; wealth is created and equitably distributed; and social and economic justice guaranteed.

‘’For wealth to be created and equitably distributed, there must be a hospitable, peaceful and productive environment.

‘’While there will always be misalignment of interests and perspectives, we must continue to deepen our engagement through social dialogue with the view of leaving a long-lasting legacy of productivity, equitable distribution of wealth and social justice for generations unborn.

‘’We urge organised labour and in deed all stakeholders that no effort should be spared in promoting and defending institutions that have been created to advance industrial harmony and social dialogue, ‘’ he said.

The director-general said that the theme of the 2023 Workers Day was quite apt, especially at the time of national and global engagements.

He said that as the country marked May Day, it was imperative to note and commend the economic and socio-political contribution of workers all over the world and Nigerian workers in particular.

‘’As the global economy continues to witness disruptions coupled with political upheaval in many regions, the need to continue to protect not only workers’ rights but also human and enterprise rights cannot be over-emphasised.

‘’Worker’s rights encompass a range of issues, including living wages, decent work, access to medical care, safety and health at work, bridging gender gaps, and freedom from discrimination among many others.

‘’These rights thrive in an environment that promotes socio-economic justice; all these are in the different International Labour Organizations fundamental instruments, which Nigeria is a signatory to, ‘’ he said.