Trade Union Bill: Stakeholders Opt For Dialogue
Stakeholders in the Trade Union (Amendment) Bill 2004 have indicated that they prefer the adoption of dialogue to resolve disputes between organised labour and the Federal Government.
This was reflected in the papers submitted to the ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives on the controversial bill.
Those who presented papers were the Minister of Employment, Labour and Productivity, Dr Hassan Lawal, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr Akinlolu Olujinmi and NLC President, Mr Adams Oshiomhole.
Others were Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr Cornelius Dzakpasu and National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Abdullahi Kano.
In his presentation, Lawal said the intention of the Federal Government in initiating the process to reform labour administration in Nigeria was "to promote the democratisation of labour and to strengthen it."
Lawal argued that the existence of a central labour organisation such as NLC constituted "a gross violation of the convention and standards of the ILO."
In calling for the creation of more labour centres, and the abolition of the automatic check-off system, he stressed that ``what these amendments seek is to create an enabling environment where voluntarism will flourish."
"The Trade Disputes Act contains exhaustive provisions on arbitration and adjudication, which is a more decent way of resolving labour matters in democratised societies," he said.
For his part, the minister of justice noted that "any law in conflict with the constitution of Nigeria will have to be down-played."
"Let trade unions federate with one another in line with the constitution," he stated.
In his remarks, Dzakpasu said Nigeria as a member of the ILO's governing body was bound by the core conventions, whether ratified or not.
While supporting the multiplicity of labour centres, he also stressed "the need for dialogue as a means of resolving crisis."
Oshiomhole, the NLC President, submitted that labour union was not against reforms.
But he flayed the modalities being adopted by the government, stressing that "government should not force labour into forming groups.
"Rather, workers should be allowed to evolve among themselves and free to associate with any union.
The no-strike law in the bill is aimed at reducing workers to slaves, in violation of the ILO convention," said Oshiomhole.
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