Labour leaders seek stiffer sanctions for violators of casualisation law

Labour leaders have called on the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to impose stiffer sanctions on any company or organisation which violates the country’s anti-casualisation law.
Some of the leaders who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Monday, said that casualisation was mostly practiced in the private sector.
Bobboi Kaigama, the National President of the Trade Union Congress, said that urgent measures must be put in place to end the practice in country.
Kaigama said: “Casualisation, which is practiced more in the private sector, can be stopped through a law prohibiting it with accompanying punishment for violators.”
Oladele Hunsu, the National President, Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers union, told NAN that the first step to stopping the menace was for all the unions to come together.
Hunsu explained that all labour unions must have a joint anti-casualisation committee that would periodically embark on picketing industries where casualisation exists.
He said: “There is need to involve the Ministry of Labour and Productivity because the law is clear on the issue of contract employment.
“All labour unions should endeavour to have a data base of all their members with a view to identifying casual workers.”
Sunday Alhassan, the National President, National Union of Postal and Telecommunication, described casualisation of workers in Nigeria as “modern slavery”.
He said that unions needed to come together and write a joint letter of intent to stop casualisation at various levels.
He said: “Casualisation can be stopped by implementation of our labour laws by the regulatory agencies, especially the ministry of labour.
“Sanctions should also be imposed on those that flout our anti-casualisation laws.
“That way, we can stop further damage in the labour sector.”
NAN recalls that the Nigeria Labour Congress in its efforts to end the plight of workers in the private sector had set up a committee on anti-unionism and anti-casualisation.
The President of the NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar, during the inauguration of the committee, said that many private sector workers were undergoing one form of slavery or the other.
Omar said that the congress established the anti-unionism and anti-casualisation committee in pursuance to its traditional role of liberating workers and bringing them succour.
Omar said that the NLC would do all within its power, using relevant laws of the country, to ensure that casualisation was stopped within the Nigerian workforce.