The NLC is not surprised, as the global labor body ranks Nigeria among ‘chronic’ workers’ rights violators

The 2024 Global Rights Index report published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on Saturday, ranked Nigeria as one of the top countries with ‘chronic’ labor rights violations in the world.

In the report, the ITUC, which represents more than 191 million workers in 169 countries and territories, with 340 national affiliates, including the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and the Nigerian Trade Union Congress (TUC), also indicted Costa Rica, Finland, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Switzerland, as countries with serious violations of workers’ rights.

According to the ranking which ranks countries on a scale of 1 to 5+ based on the level of respect for workers’ rights, 13 countries ranked worse including Nigeria, Costa Rica, Finland, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Qatar and Qatar . The Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Switzerland and 87 percent of other countries violate the right to strike.

“This comes amid an ongoing and devastating cost-of-living crisis, technological disruptions that are rapidly changing the world of work, and worsening global levels of violent conflict where workers face the devastating consequences of war,” the report added.

While reacting to the ITUC report, the NLC, in a statement on Saturday, said that it was not surprising that Nigeria was one of the countries with the worst violations of workers’ rights.

“The NLC acknowledges the ITUC’s latest report, which ranked Nigeria among the 13 worst countries in terms of workers’ rights,” the NLC statement said.

“These rankings, while worrying, are an important and necessary reflection of the struggles being faced by Nigerian workers. This underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to protect and uphold workers’ rights in Nigeria.

”The Nigerian government, entrusted with regulating and protecting labor relations and workers’ rights, often fails to fulfill its responsibilities.

“Examples of non-compliance with labor laws, disloyalty in honoring negotiated agreements, distortions and disloyalty in the tripartite national minimum wage negotiation process including delays in implementing minimum wage adjustments, and inadequate enforcement of occupational health and safety standards highlight systemic failures.

“Apart from that, repression of trade unions through legal and extrajudicial channels further exacerbates workers’ suffering.

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“The increasing use of violence, threats, harassment and intimidation compared to reasonable dialogue by the government in industrial relations shows the gravity of the situation in Nigeria.

“Peaceful strikes and protests are often met with violent actions, undermining workers’ basic rights to organize and demand better working conditions.

“Employers in both the public and private sectors also contribute greatly to violations of workers’ rights. Practices such as unfair dismissal, non-payment of wages, and exploitation of temporary and casual workers are still rampant. Many employers fail to provide basic benefits, such as health insurance and pensions, leaving workers vulnerable and insecure.

“The continued payment of starvation wages to Nigerian workers is a gross violation and seriously violates workers’ right to a decent income.

“The increasing subordination of the Nigerian worker to the working poor deprives him of his rights to humanity and thereby deprives him of active participation in the socio-economics of the country. The right to a fair and equitable National Minimum Wage is key, yet continues to be abused in Nigeria”.

“NLC strongly believes that the ITUC report should serve as a wake-up call to the Nigerian government and employers to take immediate and decisive action to correct this injustice.

“The international community is watching and documenting this as the world is now a global village.

”Therefore, there is an urgent need to revise and enforce labor laws to ensure they meet international standards. This includes strict penalties for violations and mechanisms to protect whistleblowers who report violations.”

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