Decent Work: NLC to institute workers’ complaint panel

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has decided to create a panel to give opportunity to workers to table complaints and petitions before the labour centre, to address issues bordering on their rights.

NLC’s Assistant General Secretary, Mr Chris Onyeka, made the disclosure in an interview on Saturday in Lagos.

He spoke ahead of NLC’s programme of activities designed in commemoration of the 2023 World Day for Decent Work.

The Day, which is marked annually on Oct. 7, has the theme, “Change the Rules,” but will be celebrated in Nigeria with the theme, “Our Voice, Our Strength.”

Onyeka said, “The idea is that workers’ rights are at the heart of the decent work agenda because workers’ rights are human rights.

“The need to raise the collective voices of workers to build strength becomes critical to achieving the protection and defence of these rights in the world of work.

“So, the idea of the protection of the rights and privileges of workers in the world of work is a fundamental agenda within the International Labour Organisation framework.

“As a result of this, the decent work agenda was born; NLC in this year’s celebration, has decided to create a platform that will give opportunity to every worker in Nigeria.

“This is especially for those who work in places that are not organised or that do not have unions to table complaints or petition the NLC to look at the issues on the ways their rights have been violated at their places of work.”

The labour leader said that a panel to include lawyers, trade unions, educators, industrial relations experts and activists would be set up in all states of the federation to listen to each of the cases presented to it.

According to him, the panel will give guidance to the individuals or victims involved and counsel them on what ought to be done.

“Some of the workers may receive immediate legal advice or intervention; some may be in the form of starting engagement or remedial action for those concerned with their respective employers.

“These interventions will be done by the NLC without any charge to the workers concerned; so, it is an idea that is born out of the fact that we ought to protect workers.

“Also, we need to protect the world of work because if the world of work is protected, essentially, the world will become a more humane and fair society.

“If we have a more humane society, we create fairness, equality, and make the world more sustainable, equal and meet some of the Sustainable Development Goals as espoused by the global family,” Onyeka said.

The union leader said also that decent work agenda was of collective benefit to all including workers, government, and the economy.

He said: “When workers are protected, and, the decent work agenda fully complied, workers productivity goes up; and when organisational outcomes increases, the nation’s Gross Domestic Product rises.”