NLC reviews labour laws to conform with ILO

Abiodun OBA

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is working on the review of labour laws in Nigeria to be in conformity with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Dr Onoho’Omhen Ebhohinhen, Head, Research Department of NLC, disclosed this on Tuesday in a chat with newsmen at a media roundtable and strategy design on civil space for the Power of Voices Partnership Project in Calabar on Tuesday.

Ebhohinhen said that the current labour laws had become obsolete and needed to be reviewed to align them with modern realities and to update them to the ILO level.

“Some of these laws were made during the colonial era and some during past military regimes.

“You can agree with me that most of the Nigerian labour laws have become archaic.

“There have been so many developments in the country that have not been captured,’’ he said.

According to him, the Nigerian worker is a victim of such laws.

“The present labour laws impede workers’ growth and productivity.

“They are too restrictive and do not encourage the productivity of the Nigerian worker.

“We also need to domesticate some of the laws in conformity with the ILO requirements,’’ he said.

The labour leader said that the process of the review has gone through three stages.

“We have concluded three stages of the process. We have held individual presentations at the NLC level; we had workshops with relevant stakeholders and we have met with the members of the National Assembly.

“After collation of all the submissions, we will put them together as draft legislation and present them to the national assembly for onward passage as a bill,’’ he said.